Kai Luke Brümmer shines in the stage version of the critically acclaimed film and autobiography Moffie, which tackles toxic masculinity and homophobia in the story of a gay South African conscript.

Head shaved, in blue jeans and a black T-shirt, Kai Luke Brümmer paced back and forth in the far corner of a rehearsal room somewhere in the labyrinthine basement of the Baxter Theatre Centre. He was waiting for his cue as a small industry audience filed in to witness the first complete run-through of a brand-new play that was being rehearsed in Cape Town ahead of its world premiere in London.

As we settled in our seats, Brümmer slung an army duffel bag over his shoulder and stepped into the centre of the makeshift stage, nothing but a few wooden boxes standing in for a set. With his boyish good looks, large almond-shaped blue eyes, chiselled jaw, cheekbones as high as ever, he held us in the palm of his hand for almost 90 minutes, a gutsy, tender performance that crackled and blazed like an electric storm.

By the end of it, there were plenty of tears in the room, evidence of an audience being touched deeply.

Critically acclaimed film

It's been almost five years since Brümmer, a Johannesburg-born actor who trained at the University of Cape Town, was hailed by critics at the 76th Venice Film Festival for his...