(“Will the real Evita Bezuidenhout please stand up?” Pic by Stefan
Hurter)
“You better watch out, you better not lie, you
better not pout, I am telling you why- #HeTwo
is coming to town!” Pieter Dirk Uys and Evita “face off” on stage together for
the first time ever in South African history, #HeTwo comes to the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from November 19 to
24, following a run at The Hexagon Theatre in Pietermaritzburg from November 14
to 16.
In 1981 a woman appeared out of the dressing
room of the Market Theatre, stepped onto the stage and smiled. Virtually before
she even gave her name, she was a legend. Mrs Evita Bezuidenhout was presented
to the audience, the nation and the world. She is still going stronger than
ever. No longer a recognised Nationalist as she was during those years of
apartheid rule, she is now a member of the African National Congress, secure in
her Luthuli House kitchen where she cooks for reconciliation. For nearly 40
years she has had to tolerate the impersonation of her by a local actor. She
tried to sue him for libel; she swore never to allow him into her life and yet,
now in the 25th year of her democracy, she will be on the stage with Pieter-Dirk
Uys at the same time.
The question to PDU was always: why this female
character of Evita? There are many answers. When he started impersonating her
in 1978, it was illegal to have an opinion about anything political, so maybe
an Afrikaans woman with an NP husband could spill the beans. The fact that she
was portrayed by a man dressed as a woman, when cross-dressing was also
illegal, could force the edge of the envelope. Or maybe that she was there for only
one reason: to eventually make Nelson Mandela laugh. And she did. They met and
he laughed. She also embraced Archbishop Desmond Tutu who also laughed. She
posed with countless legends and South Africans, black and white, laughed -
with relief.
Evita Bezuidenhout will always be ten years
older than Pieter-Dirk Uys. He seems to be catching up. His Darling venue,
Evita se Perron, has been going for 23 years, established as a recognised
international tourist destination and local satirical Stonehenge.
Who would have thought that Tannie Evita would
become a farce to be reckoned with, to be hailed and celebrated as the most
famous white woman in South Africa? And now as a member of the ANC, sharing her
weekly comments on YouTube and Daily Maverick about the state of her nation,
where her Evita's Free Speech, now past its 200th episode, has gathered
supporters from all the corners of the globe? Her 140,000 Twitter followers are
not just, as she thinks, in the same prison outside Rustenburg.
Now in 2019, for the first time, she and her
ageing impersonator will confront each other face to face.
There can only be one winner.
#HeTwo will perform in
Pietermaritzburg at the Hexagon from November 14 to 16 (Book at Webtickets) and
in Durban at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from November 19 to 24 (Book at
Computicket).
For more information visit www.evita.co.za or www.pdu.co.za
Posts
