Love, Crime and Johannesburg

A Musical

Malcolm Purkey, Carol Steinberg

• Publisher: Wits University Press
• Year: 2000
• eBook ISBN: 9781868146482
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: African Drama
• Index: Literature

'Why bother to rob a bank, when you can own a bank?' asked Bertold Brecht. The question is reiterated in the very Brechtian Love, Crime and Johannesburg, the story of Jimmy 'Long Legs' Mangane, a people's poet involved in the struggle, who is accused of robbing a bank. He passionately asserts his innocence, claiming to work for the 'secret secret service'.
Lewis, his old friend and comrade from the struggle, now owns a bank. How did this happen? The man of the struggle is now a man of accounts. A man of the nineties. Part of the cell phone generation. Added to the mix is an old-style gangster, two girlfriends, a Jewish father and a very unusual Chief of Police.
Described as one of the first genuine post-apartheid plays, Love, Crime and Johannesburg is a witty, light-hearted account of life in the City of Gold at the turn of the millennium. A must for all students of South African theatre. Winner of the 2000 Vita Award for best script of a new South African Play.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title
• Title
• Copyright
• Introduction
• Love, Crime and Johannesburg