Theatre: The Return of Elvis Du Pisanie
6 October at 18:00
Adam Small Theatre Complex
Ashley Dowds’ closing night performance of The Return of Elvis Du Pisanie during Woordfees was nothing short of compelling and attention-grabbing. Performed at the Adam Small Theatre in Stellenbosch on 6 October, this one-man show followed the life story of Du Pisanie as he plans to commit suicide by inhaling toxic gas.
Ashley Dowds performed on closing night of Woordfees as Elvis Du Pisanie in the play, The Return of Elvis Du Pisanie. The play was a one-man-show following Elvis Du Pisanie’s life story, as the protagonist was moments away from gassing himself in his car. PHOTO: Supplied/Llewellyn de Wet
Dowds, who played Du Pisanie, had the audience’s attention in the palm of his hands. The opening scene began rather silently and slow-paced as the lights hit the protagonist. The one-man show began after Du Pisanie had just come across an Elvis Presley song he had heard 30 years before, and follows the memories of his life. These included Du Pisanie’s Elvis performance as a teenager, his father murdering his entire family, and his stutter when talking to his high-school love interest.
To a certain extent, the opening scene was confusing. It began as a soliloquy where Du Pisanie broke the fourth wall, speaking to the audience about old buildings in his surroundings. But it soon became evident that he was reflecting on his life’s memories.
Ashley Dowds as Elvis Du Pisanie in the play, The Return of Elvis Du Pisanie, performed on the closing night of Woordfees on 6 October. The set design was minimal: with only a lamppost, crate, and stoep. PHOTO: Supplied/Llewellyn de Wet
From there, Dowds took the audience to various moments in Du Pisanie’s life that brought him to the point of wanting to commit suicide by inhaling toxic gas. Scene after scene, Dowds skillfully took on the different personalities that Du Pisanie encountered in his life – a display of masterful acting.
Credit is also owed to director and writer, Paul Slabolepszy, for creating a fully-rounded narrative. One can appreciate the circular nature of the script in making important references early on, and then again towards the end, to show its completion. For example, as a child, Du Pisanie was involved in spray painting vehicles. Years later, the character was ready to gas himself to death with carbon monoxide.
The production itself made use of a minimalist set design, with a lamppost, stoep, and a crate. It was impressive to watch how much can be done on a set with only three objects, but it makes sense because the story is about Du Pisanie’s memories – things that are gone. It was only fitting for the set design to match what the character had with him at the time.
Ashley Dowds received a standing ovation from the audience. He portrayed Elvis Du Pisanie in the one-man-show titled The Return of Elvis Du Pisanie. Performed on closing night of Woordfees on 6 October, the performance took place in a nearly sold-out theatre, where the audience laughed at Dowds’ humorous character. PHOTO: Supplied/Llewellyn de Wet
The use of lighting, designed by Denis Hutchinson, could have been more deliberate as with the rest of the production. Besides some early scenes that showcased more innovative use of lighting, the light did not support Dowds’ performance during the moments where Du Pisanie’s emotions were most obvious. For a play that relied so much on emotion and nostalgia, more could have been done to signify these emotions. Instead, the lighting just stayed the same for most of the performance.