180:. Philemon, a doting husband who works for a lawyer, prepares breakfast in bed for his beautiful wife, Matilda whom he calls Tilly. He does this every day, taking deep pleasure in serving his wife rather than the whites whom he is obliged to serve under apartheid. Every morning is much the same: he readies himself, cooks and wakes Matilda, who refuses to let him wait around to clean up after her. Philemon and Matilda share a communal lavatory with thirty other people who live in a backyard slum which was typical in Sophiatown. Once dressed, Philemon leaves to catch his bus.
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from now on, Philemon tells her. Time passes, and
Matilda’s continued punishment wears on her. Desperate for an escape, she joins a cultural club organized by the local Anglican Mission at the Church of Christ the King in Ray Street (incidentally the same street in which the writer Can Themba lived at Number 111). She finds catharsis among the other married women in the club.
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Philemon regards the suit and tells
Matilda that he notices that they have a visitor. Philemon commands Matilda to treat the suit with the same hospitality that she would show to a guest: it will share meals with them, it will share their bedroom, it will go for walks with them, etc. If she refuses,
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When
Philemon returns, he finds that Matilda has cleaned and spruced up their dingy home. She even wears a beautiful new dress and has prepared dinner. Unmoved, Philemon scolds his wife: where is their visitor? Matilda retrieves the suit and prepares a plate of food for it. This is how it should be
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This morning, Philemon meets up with his friend, old Mr. Maphikela, in town. Maphikela reluctantly informs
Philemon that Matilda has been visited by a young man every morning for the last three months. Devastated, Philemon takes the bus back to Sophiatown and discovers Matilda in bed with her young
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She invites her new friends to come to her home the following Sunday. She spends the entire week preparing for the party. Just before
Matilda serves the meal, Philemon orders her to bring out the party’s guest of honor: the suit.
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in Paris in 1999; the production toured the world. They revisited the play, returning it to its original
English and incorporating the music direction of Franck Krawczyk, and presented their new version of
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As her guests chitter about this odd behavior, Matilda begs her husband to put her punishment on hold, but he refuses. After she is properly embarrassed, Philemon goes with her friends to a
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lover. Philemon pretends not to acknowledge the discovery and scratches through the cupboard, telling
Matilda that he was almost at work when he realised that he had left his
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where, although it was not in the official competition, was given a
Special Mention by the jury. The film features Tony Award-winning South African actor
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at home and thus returned to fetch it. Matilda’s lover leaps out of the window and flees naked down the street — leaving his suit draped over a chair.
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adapted the story into a play by the same name, first presenting it in
November 1994 at Johannesburg’s
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in Paris in April 2012. It began its international tour in May 2012, continuing into 2014.
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402:"SUNDAY TIMES - Can Themba's classic short story 'The Suit' comes to life on screen"
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he says that he will kill her. For the first time in his life, Philemon goes to a
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adapted the short story into a screenplay and directed a short film adaptation,
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regime. "The Suit" was adapted for the stage by
Mothobi Mutloatse and
649:, edited by Norman Hodge, pp. 22–35. Ravan Press, Johannesburg.
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South African writer and publisher Mothobi Mutloatse and playwright
512:"South African classic The Suit makes screen debut at DIFF 2016"
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To Kill A Man’s Pride and Other Stories from Southern Africa
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presented their French translation/adaptation of the play,
128:. It was first published in 1963 in the inaugural issue of
578:"Zanzibar International Film Festival 2016 award winners"
274:, which held its African premiere on 12 July 2016 at the
621:"Bonisile John Kani | South African History Online"
376:"Fifty years later, time for Nat Nakasa to return home"
219:"The Suit" has been adapted for the stage and film.
490:"Fledgling filmmaker tackles period short as debut"
305:, a short film adaptation, written and directed by
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556:"The Suit - Zanzibar International Film Festival"
331:(Reprint. ed.). Johannesburg: Viva Books.
140:. On publication, the story was banned by the
132:, a South African literary journal founded by
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468:"Peter Brook - Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord"
353:"South African literature: the Drum decade"
290:as Philemon, and Phuthi Nakene as Matilda.
148:in 1994, and has been adapted into a short
514:. balancingact-africa.com. 30 June 2016
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685:20th-century South African literature
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280:Zanzibar International Film Festival
492:. FilmContact.com. 16 February 2016
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680:Short stories adapted into films
580:. Screenafrica.com. 18 July 2016
400:Shanthini Naidoo (11 May 2016).
374:J Brooks Spector (27 May 2014).
536:. Thesuit.mandalacollective.com
178:Natives Resettlement Act, 1954
1:
426:. Seattlerep.org. 1 July 2015
18:Short story by Can Themba
124:by the South African writer
249:Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord
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424:"The Suit : Synopsis"
286:as Mr. Maphikela, his son
164:The story takes places in
152:, written and directed by
264:South African film-maker
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601:Cite magazine requires
156:and premiered in 2016.
645:Hodge, Norman (1984).
534:"News | The Suit"
675:South African fiction
237:Marie-Hélène Estienne
150:film of the same name
327:Themba, Can (1996).
278:as part of the 19th
276:Old Fort of Zanzibar
470:. Bouffesdunord.com
670:1963 short stories
623:. Sahistory.org.za
558:. Ziff.or.tz. 2018
355:. Southafrica.info
446:"The Suit - ESAT"
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303:(2016 film)
241:Peter Brook
215:Adaptations
130:The Classic
122:short story
75:The Classic
66:Publication
60:Short story
30:Short story
664:Categories
314:References
245:Le costume
166:Sophiatown
134:Nat Nakasa
126:Can Themba
99:Media type
93:Nat Nakasa
34:Can Themba
24:"The Suit"
284:John Kani
160:The story
142:apartheid
89:Publisher
627:6 August
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385:16 March
359:6 August
329:The suit
301:The Suit
294:See also
271:The Suit
254:The Suit
176:and the
118:The Suit
56:Genre(s)
48:Language
223:Theatre
209:shebeen
194:shebeen
120:" is a
84:Journal
51:English
40:Country
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247:, at
102:Print
651:ISBN
629:2016
607:help
586:2016
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387:2020
361:2016
333:ISBN
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