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PRESS: Sex and connection explored in LA RONDE
- Theatre Scene Cape Town
- Jun 9
- 3 min read
Fahiem Stellenboom
Sex and connection explored in LA RONDE at The Baxter this Winter, from 20 June to 12 July 2025.
Nothing is quite as it seems in Arthur Schnitzler’s provocative play, LA RONDE, directed by Leila Henriques, as it heats up the Baxter Studio stage this winter, from 20 June to 12 July 2025, at 8pm with Saturday matinees at 3pm.
Written in 1897 by Austrian author and dramatist, Schnitzler’s LA RONDE is a story of ten recognisable characters from different parts of society, all searching for escape and connection through sex.
Henriques locates the story in 2025 with an all Fleur du Cap award-winning cast and creative team. The dynamic cast comprises The Baxter’s resident Fire’s Burning company; Awethu Hleli, Lyle October, Tamzin Daniels, Nolufefe Ntshuntshe and Carlo Daniels, along with Berenice Barbier and Aidan Scott.
Crystal Finck (the Aunty Merle, The Musical trilogy) is the assistant director and choreographer, set design is by Patrick Curtis (Betrayal, Life & Times of Michael K), costume design by Wolf Britz (Metamorphoses, Kiss of the Spider Woman), lighting design by Franky Steyn (Neighbourhood, Metamorphoses) and music curation by Keir Mantzios.
In a world obsessed with visibility, image and performance, this modern adaptation ofLA RONDE probes a world where intimacy is currency, sex is a calculated strategy and everyone is performing for someone.
LA RONDE is French for the round and refers to a dance performed in circle formation. It also means ‘from one person to another’ and creates the perfect metaphor for Schnitzel’s play, driven by raw physicality, pulsating contemporary music and visceral dance. It takes a funny, provocative look at relationships now, delving into the complexities of power, desire and the relentless pursuit of connection. Through the ten characters and ten intimate encounters, it offers a sharp look at who holds power, who is exploited and who is seen.
Set in contemporary Cape Town and seen through the eyes of a DJ. who finds the perfect track to cover each smooth or clumsy sexual encounter. Far more than an erotic carousel, the play exposes the transactional nature of modern relationships, where the lines between agency, desire and self-worth are constantly blurred.
“We become involved with these ten characters in the play, all from different walk of life, all in search of something more, any kind of escape and intimacy through each other,” says Henriques. “The play is funny, awkward and often poignant, as we watch how the characters chase love. It is a deeply human story and anyone who has ever pursued love will be able to recognise themselves in it.”
Playwright Arthur Schnitzler is regarded as one of the most significant representatives of Viennese Modernism. His works, which include psychological dramas and narratives, dissected 19th century bourgeois life in Vienna. The sexual content of his works was considered controversial and were banned at the time.
Leila is a Johannesburg based theatre practitioner, with a long and varied career as an actor, director and teacher. She teaches performance at The Market Theatre Laboratory, as well at Wits University. This is her fourth time working at The Baxter and was seen here on stage as an actor in Sam Shepard’s The Curse of the Starving Class, directed by Sylvaine Strike. She directed The List, starring Susan Danford and brought the production, Hani, which she directed and co-wrote, to The Baxter.
Other recent work includes Florence, written by Myer Taub and directed by Greg Homann, at The Market Theatre and Lockdown written by Warren Nebe and directed by Jaqui Smith at the Voices International Theatre Festival, Jersey City Theater Center in New York. She was awarded the Ampersand residency in New York earlier this year and wrote the book The World in an Orange with Irene Stephanou, exploring the work of Barney Simon.
The entire LA RONDE cast is a Fleur du Cap award-winning ensemble. Earlier this year, the Baxter’s Fires Burning Company (Othello, Neighbourhood) won the Best Ensemble award for Metamorphoses, while Aidan Scott clinched the Best New Director acknowledgement for The Dumb Waiter. In 2023 Berenice Barbier walked away as Best Supporting Actress for her role as Honey in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
LA RONDE runs for a limited season from 20 June to 12 July 2025 at 8pm, with Saturday matinees at 3pm. There is an age restriction of 16 years and parental guidance is advised. Booking is through Webtickets.