World acclaimed novel The Promise premiers on stage

“It has been an absolute honour and privilege to have played a part in bringing to life the world premiere of the stage adaptation of Damon Galgut’s Booker Prize-winning novel The Promise, says businessman and philanthropist Derek Lubner, who through his production company Club Dezza Productions is behind the opening this weekend in Cape Town of the much anticipated play.

“I’m a big supporter of the arts, and was impressed by Damon when he was in London two years ago promoting his incredible South African novel which has universal themes that resonate with all of us,” said Lubner from London this week.

“This is an exciting venture,” said Lubner. “It has a star-studded South African cast and creative team, and I believe it has what it takes to go global and reach a wide audience.”

“I had worked with internationally acclaimed and multiple award-winning director Sylvaine Strike before in 2018, so when she approached me to become involved in The Promise, I was keen,” he said. Lubner worked with Strike previously in Samuel Becket’s Endgame, so “to work with her again came easily,” he said.

The Promise – On Stage is written by Galgut, directed by Strike, with stage adaptation by both.

Galgut, who lives in Cape Town, was awarded the prestigious Booker Prize for The Promise in 2021. It’s only the third time a South African writer has been given that honour.

Simply put, the story revolves around a small farm outside Pretoria. The Swart family, “a typical bunch of white South Africans”, tries to hold itself together through the violent lurches of recent history. They have promised to give a small piece of land with a tiny house on it to Salome, the Sotho woman who has worked for them her whole life. It’s a worthless property, but still, they won’t give it up.

One by one, members of the family die – there are four funerals, one of which is a Jewish funeral – while everything around them changes and they try to stay the same. Only two siblings are eventually left, facing each other over a great divide: Anton, the tormented older brother; and Amor, his strange younger sister.

Galgut said he didn’t consider the idea of The Promise being adapted for stage at the time of writing it.

“Sylvaine had a clear vision for how it could work, and this opened a door to a whole new theatrical language,” Galgut told the SA Jewish Report.

“Theatre isn’t totally out of left field for me. When I started my career, I was torn between becoming a playwright or a novelist, and after drama school in Cape Town, I knew I was better at writing novels,” he said.

“We had the luxury of a week’s workshop with a full cast, which was exciting. I re-worked the play furiously afterwards, making numerous changes,” he said.

He described the workshop as an “emotionally charged experience”.

“It was emotional for everyone as it threw up all kinds of South African moments, stories from our past which we had to unpack,” he said.

Galgut, who is technically Jewish, admits to coming from a “fractured religious background”.

At the centre of The Promise, is, in fact, a Jewish mother, whose presence is felt across generations, tied to a promise made long ago.

“I do have Jewish heritage. My father is Jewish and my mother converted Orthodox when she married him. It wasn’t an easy process,” said Galgut. Along the same vein, the Jewish mother in the story, Rachel, also converted to Judaism.

“I was converted to Judaism at the age of two, though I was never subsequently raised in the Jewish tradition. I speak no Hebrew and never had a Barmitzvah,” he said. “My motivation in writing it this way [having a Jewish mother at the centre of the story] was purely to cover the major religious traditions of white South Africa. There’s not only a Jewish element to the book, but a Catholic, Calvinist, and New Age one too,” he says.

When he was researching the novel, he consulted a local rabbi in Cape Town. “It did occur to me at the ripe age of 59 that perhaps I should be chasing up roots,” he thought afterwards.

He published his first novel at 17, and since then, his work has been translated into 34 languages. Two other novels, The Good Doctor, and In a Strange Room, have also previously been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Two films were made of his book The Quarry. Locally, his previous novel, Arctic Summer, was awarded the Sunday Times fiction prize. Galgut is also a past winner of the Commonwealth Prize Africa Region.

“We have been reflecting on ourselves as South Africans, with the recent events in our country highlighting how disparate our daily experiences are,” said Silke of the play’s rehearsals. “It serves as a sharp reminder that the themes of The Promise remain absolutely relevant, and how vital it is to have continued conversations around these realities.” She has described the play as funny, confrontational, and powerful, supported by a uniquely chorus-driven narration.

“This isn’t laugh-a-minute stuff. It’s quite a serious play, a commentary on South Africa past and present,” said Lubner. “I cannot act or direct, but in my small way, I have loved being a part of the creative process. Being able to back the production is my way into this exciting theatrical world.

“It has been a fantastic privilege to get to know somebody like Damon and work with Sylvaine, visualizing the best outcome for the production, pushing ourselves to be the best we can be. It’s a world-class show that can stand anywhere in the world,” Lubner said.

“The Promise – On Stage” will run from 16 September to 6 October at The Star Theatre at the Homecoming Centre in Cape Town and at The Market Theatre from 18 October to 5 November. Bookings can be made at Webtickets.