A Good House by Amy Jephta - ★★★★☆
The idyllic suburban community of Stillwater serves as the backdrop to A Good House by South African playwright Amy Jephta — a sharp and intelligent exploration of neighborhood politics and the cost of fitting in.
The Royal Court stage is transformed into the front room of a house in Stillwater, with the space belonging to three sets of couples; sandwich shop owner Andrew (Kai Luke Brummer) and yoga teacher Jess (Robyn Rainsford) the newest to the community, long time residents Lynette (Olivia Darnley) and Chris (Scott Sparrow); and the only Black residents in this South African neighbourhood, Sihle (Sifiso Mazibuko) and Bonolo Mbata (Mimî M Khayisa).
As a mysterious shack appears in Stillwater, the residents must decide how to deal with the issue, and prejudices are exposed as tensions rise in this previously quaint, quiet town.
We’re first introduced to Sihle and Bonolo’s home, where Lynette and Chris are invited for drinks and cheese. The Mbata’s wealth is unmistakable, with Bonolo proudly boasting of her lavish rug from the Medina quarter and serving aerated wine from a small village in Sardinia. The conversation ebbs and flows with polite, neighbourly chatter, while Sihle, ever the picture of ease, offers laughter through any moments of awkwardness.
The conversation soon takes an uncomfortable turn when Sihle reveals he has received a promotion. Bumbling and heavy-handed, Chris cannot help but bring up “affirmative action,” and “black empowerment policies,” and the elusive neighborhood WhatsApp group, of which it appears Sihle and Bonolo are not members.
Chris’s awkward fumbling finally leads him to the intended topic of the evening: the other residents of Stillwater expect Sihle and Bonolo to take the lead in evicting the “invisible” residents (they have never actually been seen) of the shack. The implication is clear—that the shack's inhabitants might be more easily dealt with by those they are familiar with: other Black people.
This is how one small shack begins to tear at the relationships in Stillwater, both within marriages and among neighbors. Sihle and Bonolo have an explosive confrontation, with Sihle, for lack of a better term, reading Bonolo for filth as he accuses Bonolo of performing her blackness, while Bonolo accuses Sihle of using his difficult upbringing like “chips in a casino.”
A Good House is packed with dynamism, and the show thrives under Nancy Medina’s direction, which does justice to the complexity and satire woven throughout Jephta’s script. At times, we’re forced to endure awkward silences, filled only with the sounds of wine being poured; at other times, the room crackles with explosive, highly charged confrontations. Amy Jephta’s dialogue is clever and sophisticated, exploring the insidious side of a community born of an “us vs. them” mindset, and the politics of race and class—all brought to light by the appearance of a single shack in a gated community.
Jephta confronts truths about belonging, privilege, and prejudice with sharp insight and unflinching clarity, her writing is both sophisticated and biting, balancing moments of subtle humuor with emotional intensity.
A Good House reveals how deeply ingrained biases and societal expectations shape our interactions, even in seemingly harmonious communities. Originally co-commissioned by the Royal Court Theatre and the Fugard Theatre, South Africa, the production highlights the strength of international collaboration in bringing these important stories to life.
★★★★
By Shore Delano
A Good House is showing at the Royal Court until 08 February.