Pieter Dirk Uys on MBD!
Pieter Dirk Uys popped in to MBD this afternoon, to tell us about his take on the political climate of the country in 2013, what we are missing, and what we can look forward to!
He also came in to tell is all about his new show, An Audience with Pieter-Dirk EISH!
Here is all the info on the new show!
EVITA SE PERRON presents at the Theatre on the Square, Sandton
An Audience with Pieter-Dirk EISH!
6 – 25 MAY 2013
"Uys dons false eyelashes and presidents listen."
- Los Angeles Times October 2010
Fifteen cardboard boxes on stage. Each filled with characters and stories. And Pieter-Dirk Uys.
That’s all the visual required to make turn his latest show into an evening to be talked about long after the fact. Now in his late sixties, Pieter-Dirk Uys can vividly recall the recent history of South Africa with ease and is probably the most up to date person on current South African politics. He engages his audiences, speaking to the young, the expat, the gay and the gatvol.
“An Audience with Pieter-Dirk EISH” is just that. With the choice of fifteen boxes on stage, a member of the audience chooses a number. Out come characters and entertainment that could be either a drama, a comedy, a farce or a shocking expose. Every box holds a familiar laugh, all truly South African! Uys is on stage sharing a life that reflects the lives of so many of his audience, memorable experiences growing up in South Africa then and now, and doing sketches of various characters and their unique stories, some of them harking back to that dark past; most of them trying to make sense of this crazy future.
On every night the show and the characters will be different.
Still inspired by his scriptwriters, the government of the day, Pieter-Dirk Uys takes a night to present his life in theatre, on stage, through satire, celebrating survival - frocked or unfrocked - ever transparent. In conversation with an audience usually means a dialogue, a Q & A, a grilling and often a roasting. This might be all of those, interspersed with some of the 80 characters from his 38 years in the political arena, brandishing his weapon of mass distraction: humour.
In our world of reality TV, breaking news, 400 television channels to surf through, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and SMS, choice has become the cherry on the cake of entertainment. Meet those in our Rainbow Nation who will help us laugh at our fear of an unchartered future. Pieter-Dirk Uys presents a celebration of free speech, an orgy of laughing at sacred cows, an embrace of being in a relatively healthy young democracy. Come and enjoy it all while it lasts. A different show each night, depending on the choices of the audience, might force future thought-police to buy tickets for each show, just in case a state secret is let out of a box, in contravention of the Protection of State Information Act!
Performances are Tuesdays to Saturdays at the Theatre on the Square. Tickets are R140 and are available at Strictly Tickets on www.strictlytickets.com or 082 553 5901 or at the Theatre on the Square on 011 883 8606. Pensioners, students and group booking discounts are also available through the theatre.
What the critics said when it played at the Baxter Theatre Cape Town in November 2012:
"Eish! What a ride. Delicious conspiracy of positive thoughts. There are sly jokes about contemporary politicians and barbed quips fly quick and fast. The whole show is like that: funny until you realise he is not really making a joke because he is trying to get you to laugh at what you don't take seriously enough. Uys manages to imbue his performance with a positive message without being corny. He does it with his usual aplomb." Theresa Smith Cape Argus Tonight 6/11/2012
"Uys's love of the theatre is contagious. His clarion call to guard democracy with vigour is delivered in sharp sound bytes. Uys is as rich a source as any of relevant commentary on both the historical and current political situation - a timely reminder of the relevance of theatre, and satire in particular, to the political and social fabric of society." Tracey Saunders Cape Times 5/11/2012
"Intimate, thought-provoking and spellbinding. Pieter-Dirk Uys's raw and brutally honest opinions give us the freedom to laugh at ourselves, but also force us to take a good, long look at what is happening around us." Louisa Steyl TygerBurger 6/11/2012
"See a national treasure perform and experience a history lesson that is funny, uplifting and sad at different times - always conveyed with honesty, tongue in cheek humour and a twinkle in the eye." CT today.co.za 1/11/2012
"Take a walk on the Dirkside. Humour and a bit of introspection is a great force." Clifford Graham Monday Missile.com 4/11/2012
We will see you there!