“Hopefully, audiences will remember the shows as a special occasion of embracing optimism and enjoyment as part of being a proud South African in spite of the speedwobbles and loadsheddings,” says master satirist, Pieter-Dirk Uys as we chat about his upcoming shows at the Hilton College Theatre this weekend.
With two productions, Adapt or Fly and An Evening With Evita Bezuidenhout, theatre goers can expect the same level of intelligent, witty and humourous theatre that they have come to expect from Uys.
In an interview with Tonight, the almost 70-year-old performer elaborates on what his shows entails: “Adapt or Fly has an energy that started in 1981 as Adapt or Dye, inspired by a general election for whites only and launching me on my career as a statirist alone on a stage with 20 characters from all aspects of our society.
“In 2015, 21 years into our democracy, one sometimes feels that history is repeating itself and taking tragedy and turning it into farce: from apartheid to tripartite, from amandla to Nkandla. So I bring my security cluster of familiar icons and aikonas – all the former National Party leaders, all the present ANC leaders, Evita Bezuidenhout, Nowell Fine, Mrs Petersen, Grace Mugabe, Winnie Mandela, Desmond Tutu and a few suprisie guests, some wearing a red beret!
“An Evening with Evita Bezuidenhout is just that. The most famous white woman in South Africa giving her State of the Nation Address, or as she calls it The Luthuli Housekeeping Report. Tannie Evita is now a member of the ANC and many people feel they really deserve her.”
The interesting thing about Uys is that he is one performer who does not back down when it comes to the stage. He has been launching a new show every year since 1981. “It’'s just too seldom that I have had the excitement of performing at the Hilton Theatre for the people of that part of our beloved nation,” he adds.
Touching on the issues depicted through Adapt or Fly and An Evening with Evita Bezuidenhout, he says: “Everything from good to bad, from left to right, from right to wrong – and all with humour.
“Yes, there is comedy with its belly laughs, but humour is sometimes laughing with a tear. The celebration of freedom of speech means besides the freedom, one also needs speech. Here is speech with a capital ‘S’.”
Like all great performers, Uys embraces the challenges that come along with it. “Challenges are part of the DNA of performances. The main focus is topicality and making sure that everyone is offended – but not all the time; that’s too exhausting. The fun is also watching changes on stage from a him to a her, from a Tutu to a Nowell, from a Zuma to a PW. So, bring the kids. No one is too young to enjoy the magic of theatre and imagine what wonderful questions will be asked in the car on the way home.”
l Pieter-Dirk Uy’s Adapt or Fly runs on Friday and An Evening With Evita Bezuidenhout on Saturday at the Hilton College Theatre, Midlands. Both productions start at 7:30pm. For info, visit pdu.co.za.