Date Published: 17th April 2025
A new play by Sir Alexander McCall Smith
In January of this year (2025), Alexander travelled to South Africa to work with his good friend, Nicholas Ellenbogen on a play, Darwin: A Curious Mind. It is now playing there to rave reviews:
‘Owing to McCall Smith’s skill as a storyteller one does not feel pressurised to remember every single fact presented, but one can wallow in the adventure, exciting discoveries and intellectual pursuits. The language and style is characterised by long elegant phrases and a striking vocabulary… The monologues are interspersed by beautiful poems, recited by Emma, that comment or expand on the action at hand. Liz’s voice is strong and clear as a bell, lending further gravitas to McCall Smith’s words.’
‘McCall Smith infuses the entire play with the gentle humour that Nicholas is so good at portraying… DARWIN, A CURIOUS MIND allows one to sit back and be submerged gently by a refreshing stream of information and entertainment that engages the mind, warms the heart and reminds us that we are the custodians of the irreplaceable treasures of our natural world.’
Theatre Scene CPT
‘Interesting, funny and very entertaining… a must see for youngsters – to get them interested in our planet – to cherish it and its diversity. As Darwin muses in the play: Greed will destroy its infinite variety.‘
The Cape Robyn
The play is on at the Simon’s Town City Hall at 15:00 on 19 April 2025 and 20:00 on 20 April 2025.