Renowned director Peter Brook (The Mahabharata, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet) returns to BAM with a music-filled adaptation of South African writer Can Themba's piercing tale of simmering resentment and tragedy, The Suit.

A wife caught in the act, her lover fleeing the scene, a suit left behind. It’s the perfect recipe for a husband’s punishing, humiliating decree: go on with business as usual, he says to his spouse, but take your lover’s suit everywhere you go as a ghostly reminder of your betrayal. Using an innovative staging that integrates live musicians directly into the action, Brook makes Themba’s volatile work sing. A hummed “Strange Fruit,” African melodies, and Schubert lieder thicken the tense, poisoned air of this apartheid-era summer in which a shared wound was not allowed to heal.

Lighting design by Philippe Vialatte
Scenic elements and costume design by Oria Puppo
Assistant director Rikki Henry


"Stunning...unforgettable...theatre as it should be."
-The Daily Telegraph (UK)


"...a minimalist masterclass, exquisitely performed, unbearably moving."
-Mail on Sunday (UK)


"Once again, Brook creates a small miracle."
-Les Echos (France)


"[The Suit] will leave you feeling tender and bruised in the most wonderful way."
-The South African


Jan 17—Feb 2, 2013