(Pieter-Dirk Uys
as Piet Koornhof)
You
daren’t lose focus for a minute or you might miss a hilarious aside or
sarcastic crack at a politician! (Review by Caroline Smart)
Pieter-Dirk
Uys is back in town! What a pleasure! This time with his latest show, When in Doubt, Say Darling.
The
title has been in his mind for about 40 years since he worked with one of South
Africa’s legendary theatre figures, Taubie Kushlick, who called everyone “Darling”.
He expands this by saying that the older one gets, the more difficult it is to
remember names! So just call people “darling” instead.
This
leads to the fascinating and highly amusing story of how he went to live in
Darling in the Cape. He ended up in the town, having lost his way en route to
McGregor and fell in love with a total wreck of a Victoria house. He bought it
and eventually created his cabaret theatre and restaurant, Evita se Peron, in
the old railway station and this is now one of the tourist attractions in the
area.
The set
comprises a jumbled collection of cardboard boxes and beer crates. The show is
described as being about “forgetting, forgiving, remembering, faking, making-up
and doing.” As it progresses, we delight in meeting again his unforgettable
characterisations of former State President PW Botha and politician Piet
Koornhof as well as former President Jacob Zuma.
(Uys as the old man)
At one
stage, the boxes represent the belongings of an old man who is having to move
from his spacious home to two-rooms in an old age home. In this beautifully
poignant section, Uys has a chance to focus on the SPCA, a charity which is
very close to his heart, encouraging audiences to donate money or belongings that
are no longer needed.
Another
unforgettable section deals with his community work for the children of the
township area surrounding Darling, exposing them to new experiences like
ice-cream parlours, a movie house … and the sea!
Uys
deals with many issues that are confronting communities at all levels in South
Africa at the moment. It’s rapid fire delivery – you daren’t lose focus for a
minute or you might miss a hilarious aside or sarcastic crack at a politician!
Over the years, I believe the general public has learnt more about South Africa’s
political scene through Uys and his no-holds-barred eye-openers than they have
through the media.
Obviously,
the audience eagerly awaits the appearance of the famous Evita Bezuidenhout and
Uys does this transformation very cleverly. While putting on her make-up, he
occasionally dons different wigs and we meet British Prime Minister, Theresa May; Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, along with Noelle Fine (a
long-time Uys character), eventually triumphing as Evita, false eyelashes and
all!
Evita
has the last word as she urges people to fight the land reformation issues by
searching into their own origins!
The show,
which lasts for an hour and 20 minutes without interval, had sold-out seasons
at Pieter Toerien's Montecasino Studio and the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town – so
don’t miss it here in KZN! Uys deserves all the support we can give him – not just
for being an extraordinary performer but for being one with a huge heart.
When in Doubt, Say Darling has another performance tomorrow
in the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre at 15h00 and again from November 8 to 10 at
19h30 and on November 11 at 15h00. During the week, Uys moves up to the Hexagon
Theatre in Pietermaritzburg for performances on November 6 and 7. Booking is through
Computicket. – Caroline Smart
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