Scene It: A beautiful echo of nostalgia

In The Echo of a Noise, Pieter-Dirk Uys entices the audience by doing the inverse to what we are accustomed to… he dresses down… actually more than down. When the curtain goes up, it is just him, looking you straight in the eyes without even a smidgen of lipstick or the hint of a wig.

The Echo of a Noise is not his normal satirical show, it is a soul-baring honest memoir brought to stage by the one who can tell the story best… the one you lived the tale.

The show takes you on the life journey of little Pietertjie Uys, who shares all his trials, tribulations and triumphs – as he grows into the legendary stage personality that today is Pieter-Dirk Uys – as if you are the closest of friends, until finally revealed sits the legend we all adore today.

Upon reflection of the story that unfolds you realise that The Echo of a Noise is not really just the story of Pieter(tjie), but rather the story of “Pa and Bokkie”, as it becomes clear that Pieter-Dirk Uys was greatly influenced by his father, whom he always loved but maybe not always liked. The one's search for identity and acceptance intrinsically linked to the other.

Through his honest telling you are captured by the heart and soul that is Pieter-Dirk Uys. A man who through his experiences, graduated from the University of Imagination, got a masters from the University of Courage and now has a Doctorate from the University of Life.

Sitting in conversation with him in this “show” (I use this word very loosely because it is so much more than a mere production), time feels like it is standing still, as you hang onto every word of this skilled story teller. You sit in amazement as he reveals how his fascination with Sophia Loren developed into the most unique perhaps even lifesaving friendship, how he battled the ignorance of Publications Board with self-created “swear” words, realised he could be more of a true activist, and how a need to feed his beloved thinning cat resulted in him creating his first show ‘Adapt or Die’ with PW Botha as social commentary character inspiration.

Ultimately theatre friend Charmaine van der Merwe sums up the feeling behind The Echo of a Noise best:

"Absolutely brilliant - I am nostalgic about someone else's life! It was simply beautiful. The right amount of everything. A must must see!"

Don't miss the opportunity to see the truly inspirational and unpowdered Pieter-Dirk Uys onstage at Theatre on the Bay in the brilliant The Echo of a Noise before run ends 18 June 2016. You will never look at trains and little towns like Darling the same again. Book your tickets at Computicket. The Echo of a Noise will return to Theatre on the Bay from 4 to 15 July 2017.