(Pieter-Dirk
Uys. Pic by Robert A Hamblin)
He’s engaging, dramatic, poignant, bitingly
satirical and hysterically funny - performing the most riveting two hours without
an interval. But you barely notice the time. Don’t miss it! (Review by Caroline
Smart)
The winner of a multitude of awards both
here and internationally, Pieter-Dirk Uys walks onto the Elizabeth Sneddon
stage simply dressed in a black T-shirt, trousers and beanie. The stage is bare
except for a barstool but this lack of setting is barely noticeable as he
creates wonderful images in his descriptions of people and places.
Born in Cape Town, Uys comes from an
exceptionally musical family. His home was a thatched roof house in Pinelands
in Cape Town. With a mixture of Afrikaans, German and Jewish ancestry, he has a
fabulous library of stories to draw on. His parents – the highly popular
(except to the young Pieter-Dirk) Hannes Uys, his mother Helga Bassel - and his
sister, Tessa Uys were all accomplished pianists who often played together at
orchestral concerts. Tessa is acknowledged as one of South Africa’s most
distinguished concert pianists and has gone on to make her name internationally.
It was a delight to learn of her childhood as well.
The beginning of the show takes us right
back to his days as a 14 year-old. We listen to a recording of him singing at
the time – a pure clear soprano. He yearned for long pants but it was thought
this might cause his voice to break too soon! Memories include ice cream after
church and the steam trains passing by. He reminds us with an ironic smile that
he now owns his own station, the former Darling railway station which is now
Evita se Perron, his cabaret and theatre restaurant.
He talks about his mercurial relationship
with his father and handles his death with achingly beautiful emotion as he also
does with the suicide of his mother.
A major influence on his life was the
family’s domestic worker, Sannie, and the production comes full circle from the
apartheid days, when the colour of their skin kept them apart, to the time when
she really did become one of the family. He remembers her with such fondness,
particularly when she and her friend voted for the first time.
Another strong influence, but someone who
became a lifelong friend, is film actress Sophia Loren. Their relationship started
with her simple reply to a star-struck young boy urging him to be brave. He
tells how he searched for her home in Rome by identifying the buildings behind
her in a photograph.
Memories pour forth of his early years. He
was in the Navy but never set foot on a ship although he highly enjoyed his
time stationed on the Bluff! The times he spent at the Space Theatre founded by
Yvonne Bryceland and Brian Astbury in Cape Town in 1972 makes for a history
book in itself. There is also much hilarity when he talks about how he
manipulated the posturing Publications Control Board!
This production doesn’t poke fun at today’s
political climate but the apartheid government and its leaders come in for a
real whacking. There is only a very slight mention of Evita Bezuidenhout. The
title refers to the days when theatrical censorship abounded but he refused to
be silenced and insisted on making a noise! Thank heavens he did!
“Almost Famous” is written on his T-Shirt.
“Almost”??? That’s a laugh. This is probably one of the most famous people in
South Africa – next to Evita Bezuidenhout, of course! He’s engaging, dramatic,
poignant, bitingly satirical and hysterically funny - performing the most
riveting two hours without an interval. But you barely notice the time. The
show has played to full houses and sold out seasons since it opened last year
in Cape Town – so don’t miss it!
The
Echo of a Noise runs until August 6 at the
Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre in Durban. Tickets available from Computicket www.computicket.co.za 0861 915 8000 /
Shoprite Checkers Money Market Counters.
For block bookings only – of entire
performances to groups of 50 people, contact Ailsa Windsor of Going Places: editor.goingplacessa@gmail.com
or 083 250 2690.– Caroline Smart
For
more information visit www.pdu.co.za or follow weekly episodes of Evita’s Free
Speech on YouTube every Sunday: www.evita.co.za
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