Two ladies, a bathtub, and one wonderfully whimsical journey!

Ladies of Lavare, written by Tammany Barton and directed by Juliette Jenner, has opened at Theatre on the Square, bringing with it a delightfully absurd premise that quickly becomes something far more tender.

At its heart are sisters Vera and Maureen, played by Camilla Waldmann and Shaeleen Tobin respectively. Vera may be the older of the two, but she certainly hasn’t lost her appetite for life. She wants to explore, play and experience everything. Maureen, meanwhile, would quite simply like to spend her birthday alone… in an empty bathtub.

Naturally, things do not go according to plan.

When a faulty bathroom door slams shut and leaves the sisters trapped inside, the unattended cake in the oven suddenly becomes the least of their problems. What follows is a wonderfully chaotic combination of panic, bickering, laughter and, beneath it all, two sisters confronting the complicated, occasionally ridiculous nature of loving one another.

Barton’s writing is one of the production’s greatest pleasures. There is a wonderful confidence to the way she builds comedy out of such an ordinary, confined situation, allowing the absurdity to escalate without ever losing sight of the people at its centre. Her dialogue is witty without feeling forced, and the humour comes as much from the characters and their relationships ain the way she builds comedy froms from the increasingly ridiculous circumstances they find themselves in. More importantly, Barton understands these women. There is an emotional generosity to her writing that gives both Vera and Maureen room to be complicated, frustrating, funny and vulnerable. The relationship feels lived-in, with years of history sitting beneath even the smallest exchange. It is this balance between laugh-out-loud comedy and genuine tenderness that makes Ladies of Lavare so enjoyable. Barton has written something that can make you laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation one moment, and then quietly recognise something about your own relationships the next.

Camilla Waldmann is, as always, a joy to watch. Vera’s hunger for life is infectious, and Waldmann captures her playful innocence and childlike charm without ever allowing the character to become one-dimensional. There is an enormous warmth to her performance, and it is easy to understand why Waldmann remains such a beloved presence on the South African stage.

Shaeleen Tobin, meanwhile, returns to the stage with a performance that is every bit as endearing. Tobin brings a wonderfully grounded quality to Maureen, balancing her comedic timing with a sincere emotional openness. There is something immediately familiar about her, and that familiarity makes Maureen remarkably easy to vouch for.

Together, Waldmann and Tobin have a chemistry that feels entirely lived-in. Their portrayal of sisters is convincing precisely because it isn’t always neat.

They irritate one another, misunderstand one another and, ultimately, care deeply for one another. Watching them makes you think about the people in your own life who can drive you completely insane while simultaneously being the people you would most want beside you when everything goes wrong.

Juliette Jenner’s direction deserves particular praise for maintaining this delicate balance. The comedy is allowed to be big and playful without sacrificing the emotional truth beneath it, while the quieter moments are given enough space to land. Jenner understands when to let the actors take the reins and when to carefully shape the rhythm of a scene, resulting in a production that moves effortlessly between hilarity and vulnerability.

Technically, the production has a few surprises of its own.

Lauren Wilensky’s set design gives the production its wonderfully contained playground, creating a space that feels both recognisable and increasingly claustrophobic as the sisters’ predicament unfolds. It is a simple environment that allows the comedy to breathe while giving the actors plenty to play with.

Oliver Hauser’s lighting design complements this beautifully, helping to shape the atmosphere and rhythm of the production while responding to the changing emotional landscape of the play. Together with Nathan Ro’s sound design, the technical elements create a world that feels surprisingly immersive for a production so physically contained. Ro’s sound design, in particular, adds another layer to the chaos, expanding the world beyond the bathroom and drawing us further into the sisters’ increasingly frantic situation. There is a real sense of thought behind the design, and it never feels as though the technical elements are competing with the performances.

And then, of course, there’s Victor... But you’ll have to go meet him yourself.

Ladies of Lavare is the kind of production that reminds you why live theatre can be such a wonderfully intimate experience. It is funny without being empty, heartfelt without becoming sentimental, and just the right amount of ridiculous.

So, if you’re looking for something the whole family can enjoy, laugh along with, and perhaps leave thinking about afterwards, this one is worth making the trip for.

Go meet Vera and Maureen. Just maybe check that the bathroom door opens first.