(Pic: Evita in full election mode!)
Tongue firmly in cheek, Evita Bezuidenhout promises a serious challenge in the forthcoming elections. (Review by Caroline Smart)
At the end of her show, Elections and Erections which opened last night at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, Evita Bezuidenhout celebrates the fact that South Africa is extremely lucky to have the best democracy in the world and to have had visionaries like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu contribute their all-embracing philosophies for the betterment of the country.
Personally, I think South Africa should also congratulate itself that it has produced an extraordinary and unique being such as Evita Bezuidenhout whose forthright and searingly-accurate comments and appraisal of the country’s politics - and its politicians - have gathered her a loyal and highly substantial following around the world.
Okay, she is the product of the equally acute-minded and outspoken Pieter-Dirk Uys, a legend in his own time, who has created and developed her over the years. Although, he would be the first to admit that from her first appearance, Evita took her identity and ran with it - to the extent that she is now promising a serious challenge in the forthcoming elections.
Elegantly groomed as always, maturing with the times in terms of hairstyle and dress, Evita is a force to be reckoned with. This was borne out by tonight’s audience whose response to her much-anticipated appearance was prolonged and sincere. In fact, the applause started before she even arrived on stage in the second part of the programme. To be fair to Pieter-Dirk Uys, there was also applause in the first part before he appeared!
Pieter-Dirk Uys published Elections & Erections in book form. With cartoons by Zapiro, it charts his life and times growing up in a racist/apartheid era/strict Calvinistic society that forbade inter-racial sex and homosexuality. In the stage show, he reminds us of his capacity to tell a compelling and poignant story as he relates one of his experiences across the colour and sex bar when he was a young man. Remember, we’re talking 1966 here, before South Africa achieved enlightenment!
The first half also sees the appearance of characters such as Hilary Clinton, morphing into an extremely good likeness of Bill Clinton. We meet Karen van Zyl from Brakpan who moved to the US and became employed as a decoy for Sarah Palin but now works at The White House. Pooper-scooper in hand, her job is to clean up after the new president’s dog.
We meet old friends – socialite Nowell Fine and junk shop owner Mrs Peterson. Nowell Fine bemoans her experience with the Department of Home Affairs as, with a copy of The Da Vinci Code and its hidden bank note in hand for bribery purposes, she battles to acquire her identity documents. Mrs Peterson is surrounded by pamphlets from the various parties, encouraging her to place her vote their way. She’s not swayed too easily believing that none of the parties have convinced her of their capacity to run a country effectively.
The backdrop is made up of a wide range of posters from the beginning of South Africa’s democracy flanking a massive photograph of Tannie Evita on the steps of Parliament holding the cactus that made headlines in 1999 when she marched into Parliament with it! No-one escapes the Dirk-Uys penetrating eye: Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma appear as puppets – Zuma with the inevitable Zapiro shower on his head. While acknowledging his difficulty in impersonating Kgalema Mothlanthe, Dirk-Uys uses a skilful lighting effect to create the interim president for a few brief seconds.
The witty and cutting-edge remarks keep coming such as: “Politicians have to lie – if they told the truth, we’d never vote for them” …”We need a government that protects men and women – and convertibles” … “South Africa is the dining room – choose which menu you want from the number of kitchens available” (ie ANC, UFP, DA, etc) … and “With 11 official languages, no-one can ever say that they didn’t know what was going on”.
Every evening, Evita will have a guest personality in the spotlight. Last night it was Ethekwini City Manager, Mike Sutcliffe, who held his own against Evita’s candid repartee as well as vociferous response from the audience!
Both Pieter-Dirk Uys and Evita Bezuidenhout remind us of the power that each and every individual South African possesses in order to make a change – if they so wish it – in their society. If you don’t cast your vote, don’t sit and whinge!
Elections & Erections runs at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from February 17 to 28 with shows from Tuesday to Saturday at 20h00 and Sunday at 15h00. There will be extra performances on Friday (February 27) and Saturday (February 28) at 17h00. Book at Computicket – Caroline Smart
”Elections & Erections” goes on to run at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at the Jo-burg Theatre (Civic Theatre) from March 3 to 15 and then at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town from April 7 to May 2.
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