The Moth Confronts Apartheid’s Violence and Its Aftermath

What changed

The Moth is playing at London’s Finborough Theatre until Saturday 21 November, with Faz Singhateh and Micky Cochrane portraying two men forced to confront apartheid-era violence and its aftermath.

Written by Paul Herzberg and directed by Jake Murray, the play follows John Josana, a Black British journalist, and Marius Muller, an Afrikaner former soldier, after they meet on a 1997 train from Dundee to London. The production, presented by Elysium Theatre Company and Andy Jordan Productions, has been rated Excellent.

Why it matters

The play’s central question is uncomfortable and useful: can forgiveness exist without forgetting? Marius seeks it after describing the killing of a Black prisoner, while John carries the history of apartheid, displacement and his family’s flight from South Africa.

The review finds the production strongest when those questions emerge through the men’s conflict rather than direct explanation. Both performances are praised, especially the actors’ ability to reveal vulnerability without softening the brutality of Marius’s past.

That balance is also where the play struggles. Its expanded form, developed from a ten-minute monologue, sometimes leans too heavily on exposition. The parallels between the men can feel overly tidy, as though the drama is working hard to prove that two damaged lives can mirror each other.

Still, The Moth appears to earn its seriousness. Its simple staging and historical footage keep the focus on the two actors, while the encounter turns a broad political history into a tense personal argument. The production’s future beyond 21 November remains uncertain.