SIX-TIME SAMA-nominated, South African singer-songwriter, producer and performer, Jimmy Nevis — known for his contemporary pop and R&B sound — brings Roses & Thorns to The Baxter on Saturday, 21 November 2026 at 8pm.
The special one-night performance blends live music, theatrical storytelling and striking visual elements.
Following its debut earlier this year, Roses & Thorns returns to the stage in a new setting, offering audiences an opportunity to experience Nevis’s music through a fresh theatrical lens. The production brings together songs from his extensive 14-year catalogue, performed with a six-piece live band, with four distinct stories brought to life by the award-winning stage and television actor, Dean Smith.
The production features a dynamic creative team with Nevis as the creator, performer and producer and includes director and scriptwriter, Kim Blanché Adonis; associate producer and scriptwriter, Daniel Mpilo May Richards; and musical director/producer, Darren Petersen. Together, the team has developed a performance that brings contemporary South African music into conversation with theatre and storytelling.
Rooted in Cape Town, Roses & Thorns draws on Nevis’s identity and lived experience as a coloured man to explore love, loss, violence, family and hope. Blending his music with theatrical storytelling, the production brings four distinct characters to life, adding new layers of meaning to the songs while reflecting the realities of the communities and lives around us.
“Roses & Thorns is about the things we carry, the experiences that shape us and the different sides of ourselves that we don’t always show the world,” says Nevis. “I’m excited to bring the production to The Baxter and share this experience with audiences in a space that allows us to explore music and storytelling together.”
With its combination of live performance, character-driven storytelling and cinematic visuals, Roses & Thorns offers audiences a distinctive take on the live music experience — one that celebrates the power of a song to entertain, move and connect us.
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