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Tuesday, October 17, 2017

EVITA BEZUIDENHOUT & THE KAKTUS OF SEPARATE DEVELOPMENT



(Evita Bezuidenhout)

Pieter-Dirk Uys’s famous alter-ego rewrites history.

Get a revised history lesson from South Africa’s most famous white woman, Evita Bezuidenhout, as she presents her side-splitting, satirical stand-up Evita Bezuidenhout & the Kaktus of Separate Development at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on UKZN campus for a three week run from Tuesday October 31 until November 19.

Tannie Evita takes her audience on a unique great trek as she follows the journey of the Kaktus of Separate Development (Kaktaceae Apartica) from its arrival in 1652 to its reinvention in 1994 – right up to the headlines of today. Assisted by visual aids reflecting a familiar terrain of history, from the arrival of a small Dutch ship called the Drommedaris to the coronation of a former political prisoner called Madiba. She will have you in stitches while tackling one of the most controversial issues in our democracy: the real history of South Africa and the right to laugh at the lies.

For over 20 years, author, actor and activist Pieter-Dirk Uys has been enduring high-heels and extra-long lashes to bring his most famous character to life. As a matron of political incorrectness, an honorary member of the ANC and a self-declared former ambassadress of a fictitious Bantustan called Bapetikosweti,

Bezuidenhout made her debut in 1982, and has since gained international acclaim for performances that poked fun, first, at the ridiculous laws under Apartheid, and then, at the leaders of the new, democratic South Africa. She has dined with Nelson Mandela, been kissed on the cheek by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and even received the Women’s International Centre’s 2000 Living Legacy Award in San Diego – an honour received by the likes of Hillary Clinton and Mother Theresa. She is, indeed, a national treasure, giving us reason to laugh at our typically sobering politics and history.

Evita was last at the Sneddon in 2013.

Evita Bezuidenhout & the Kaktus of Separate Development runs at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on UKZN campus from October 31 until November 19. There will be a low price preview on October 31 at 19h30.

Performances run from Wednesday to Fridays at 19h30 and Saturdays and Sundays at 15h00. Booking is at Computicket www.computicket.co.za 0861 915 8000 / Shoprite Checkers Money Market Counters. Tickets available from Computicket www.computicket.co.za 0861 915 8000 / Shoprite Checkers Money Market Counters.