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More on LitNet
LitNet is ’n onafhanklike joernaal op die Internet, en word as gesamentlike onderneming deur Ligitprops 3042 BK en Media24 bedryf.

Poesy and the Pelvis are a tour de force

Roshan Sewpersad

The Return of Elvis du Pisanie
Written and performed by Paul Slabolepszy
Directed by Lara Foot-Newton
Theatre on the Bay
12 to 30 October 2004

Paul Slabolepszy's reputation precedes him; it is a rare honour to experience him perform this powerful work in Cape Town.

The story takes place on the night of Elvis's attempted suicide and unfolds as a series of vivid reminiscences illuminated by a surreal pool of light thrown by a lamppost across the street from the bioscope he frequented as a youth. There he awaits the appearance of the catalyst of the events - his bête noir, Elvis Presley, who holds the key to a shocking event that changed his life forever.

Slabolepszy gives an awesome, finely-observed performance, modulating elements of method acting, physical theatre and song, driven by his utterly convincing stream of consciousness reveries. The text is richly interspersed with comic interludes and philosophical storytelling.

His stamina is inimitable as he keeps the laddish guise throughout the performance in the unforgiving costume of a polyester business suit.

The set is simple, but his soundscapes of onomatopoeias effectively transport the audience from his experiences as a youth in coal-mining towns to The King on stage, to a suburban existence and the death chamber of his car.

The Return of Elvis du Pisanie is a tour de force of South African theatre and unfolds a rich tapestry of South African experience.



LitNet: 13 November 2004

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