Royal Court, London
A grubby shack that appears in a prosperous neighbourhood is the catalyst for a culture clash in South African playwright Amy Jephta’s sharp drama

A Black couple have moved into a gated suburban enclave and the white folk around them are worried. Who are they, and could they be connected to the sudden appearance of a grubby shack nearby? Who lives in that shack, for that matter, and will this blight on their rarefied landscape grow, multiply and encroach?

The racialised fear of the invading outsider is under scrutiny here, and the rich Black couple, Sihle (Sifiso Mazibuko) and Bonolo (Mimî M Khayisa), are torn in their stance toward the shack and the threat it is seen to pose. Proprietorial white neighbours Chris (Scott Sparrow) and Lynette (Olivia Darnley) insist their panic is tied to community responsibility, while the jittery Andrew (Kai Luke Brummer) and Jess (Robyn Rainsford) overtly imply that any – Black? – squatters nearby will bring down the price of their property.