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A story that moves from pure nostalgia, through extreme heartache, to unbridled joy...The Return of Elvis du Pisanie is all at once - sad, amusing and gloriously uplifting…!
The Return Of Elvis Du Pisanie
Written and directed by Paul Slabolepszy
The
Story
“Who would have believed that a simple act of switching on a car radio could change the course of your life!?” EDDIE DU PISANIE“
Get to Know Us
Eddie du Pisanie - a forty-nine year old East Rand salesman - is retrenched and decides life is no longer worth living. He writes a suicide note to his wife and is about to gas himself in his car in the garage, when he switches on the car radio. The Elvis Presley song he hears recalls an event in his childhood that changed his life forever. Abandoning - for the moment - the idea of suicide, he drives the 200 kilometre journey to the town in which he grew up, to a lamp post opposite the ex-Carlton Bioscope. Can we change our own destinies...?
What they said...
Ashley Dowds revives The Return of Elvis du Pisani: A timeless tale of laughter and loss!
Elvis is back! But this is not your typical rhinestone jumpsuit revival!
This is Eddie du Pisani, a middle-aged ex salesman on the brink, brought to life by the phenomenal Ashley Dowds!
Written and performed back in 1992, this one-man show is a South African CLASSIC that has lost none of its punch!
An Elvis tune on the radio sends Dowds on a hilarious and heartbreaking journey through memory lane. He masterfully embodies a parade of characters, keeping you laughing and reaching for the tissues in equal measure!
If you are looking for a night of raw emotion, side-splitting humour, and a healthy dose of nostalgia, then 'The Return of Elvis du Pisani ' is a MUST SEE! Dowds performance is electrifying, and Paul Slabolepszy's script remains as sharp and relevant as ever! Don't miss this chance to see a South African gem brought to life by a truly amazing actor! Highly recommended.
GEORG KNOKE
There are only a few performances left in Johannesburg, of this exceptional revival of "The Return of Elvis Dupisanie" – so get to see it, before the week’s end!
It’s decades since I first saw the multi-award winning play, starring it’s inimitable writer Paul Slabolepszy. Some of the plot twists and excellent writing, forgotten. Now, Paul has directed his own work. And what superb casting in the role of Eddie! Supremely performed by Ashley Dowds, it’s vivid, riveting and relevant theatre, with a punch as powerful now, as it had then. Ashley is completely engaging. He has made the characters his own, as he draws you into their worlds, leaning forward, listening to the raconteur, lighting the touch papers of his history. As the story of that dramatic night unfolds. Compelling, funny, tender and bold. And ultimately, uplifting.
ANNE WILLIAMS