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Reviews of

Adapt or Fly

(full texts of reviews are found in the Archives)

Reviews of Adapt or Fly in Cape Town — January 2014

**** Uys is absolutely at his brilliant best. As intelligent, thought-provoking entertainment, Adapt or Fly is hard to beat.

– Beverley Brommert, Cape Argus, 15 January 2014

Adapt or Fly is deliciously humorous yet compelling; it deserves to run for years and years, adapting as it flies.

– Benn van der Westhuizen, Artslink, 11 January 2014

Adapt or Fly isn't just cheap humour for a good night out; it offers a timely and truthful message about where we were, where we are, and where we could go if we don't wake up.

– Eugene Yiga, Times LIVE, 17 January 2014

Pieter-Dirk Uys at his satirical best.

– Lauren Vogt, Artslink, 16 January 2014

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Reviews of Adapt or Fly in Johannesburg — October/November 2013

**** Through the years Uys has refined the way he speaks his mind on things that matter most and he tells it exactly as it is.  He checks the pulse of the nation, listens to his conscience as he always has, steps up to the challenge — and lets rip.

– Diane de Beer, The Star, 29 October 2013

Uys has lost none of his sting.  His statements and his observations remain insightful, funny and spot on.

– Peter Feldman, Artslink, 25 October 2013

**** Uys is as sharp and witty and brilliant as ever.

– Justice Malala, Financial Mail, 31 October 2013

Uys pulls no punches. Witty one-liners, pithy insights, outrageous comments fly and sting like mosquitoes. Uys keeps his audience rocking with laughter and rueful identification.

– Jennifer de Klerk, Artslink, 2 November 2013

Adapt or Fly is aangrypend, vermaaklik, ontstellend en ’n tydige waarskuwing dat onreg nie noodwendig tot die verlede behoort nie.

– Rudolf Stehle, Beeld, 3 November 2013

Adapt or Fly sees Uys once again using the powers-that-be in government as his scriptwriters, but with an urgency we’ve not seen in him before. It will keep you on the edge, laughing at things that scare you most.

– Robyn Stassen, South African Jewish Review, 6 November 2013

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Review of Adapt or Fly in Port Elizabeth — January 2013

Pieter Dirk Uys is back in town – shout it from the rooftops!

– Nina Bodisch, MyPE, 29 January 2013

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Reviews of Adapt or Fly in Cape Town — June 2012

**** In his latest production, Uys raises the chilling spectre of similarities between our present and previous government.  Using biting wit, dark sarcasm and totally un-pc entertainment, he enlightens us, challenging us to pay attention to what is happening right under our noses.

– Theresa Smith, Cape Argus, 19 June 2012

*** Hy bly 'n meesterlike satirikus. Sy pittige, kort kommentaar is onverbeterlik. In sy solovlug laat loop Uys almal wat dit verdien nog deeglik deur.

– Mariana Malan, Die Burger, 15 June 2012

The show is all done in good humour, but the underlying seriousness of the topics and the grim transgressions of our politicians are glaringly obvious. Uys is still our number one icon when it comes to political and social satire.

– Astrid Stark, Cape Times, 14 June 2012

Adapt or Fly isn't just cheap humour for a good night out. It offers a timely and truthful message about where we were, where we are, and where we could go if we don’t wake up. This is a show that gets into your head (and perhaps into your heart as well).

– Eugene Yiga, bixcommunity.com, 15 June 2012

Uys takes no prisoners.  The man is once again in incendiary form ... and I for one hope he never stops telling truth to power.

– Peter Tromp, The Next 48 Hours, 14 June 2012

Incisive, witty and often poignant, Uys has not lost the ability to express the uncomfortable truth while making us laugh.

– Clifford Graham, Artslink, 14 June 2012

Uys’ brand of satire is deliciously politically incorrect, and Adapt or Fly is a thrilling and thought-provoking roller-coaster ride through our tempestuous timeline. A must-see.

– Kelly-Eve Koopman, What’s On In Cape Town, 13 June 2012

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Reviews of Adapt or Fly in Johannesburg — April 2012

Uys may be 30 years older than when he opened 'Adapt or Dye', but his material is as fresh today as it was then. The players may have changed, but the game has not.

– Gayle Edmunds, City Press, 15 April 2012

Uys still has us rolling on the floor after 30 years. There's enough to keep you laughing at (his) unique brand of satire, to keep you moved, hooked and at times, in awe too.

– Atja Salaframnca, The Sunday Independent, 15 April 2012

Watching 'Adapt or Fly' means never knowing for sure what will come your way. It might be a political comment you disagree with, or a funny joke that not everyone appreciates. But overall this is a necessary show that - perhaps one day - our leaders will listen to and change their ways.

– Sibisiso Mkwanazi, The Citizen, 16 April 2012

'Adapt or Fly' is a humorous journey into the sometimes dark alley of South Africa's politicial journey, from apartheid right through to the present. I would recommend the show to anyone who is even mildly interested in the politics and the politicians of South Africa. 'Adapt or Fly' is not for the fainthearted though, nor is it for those who have no sense of humour.

– Edward Tsumele, The Sowetan, 11 April 2012

'Adapt or Fly' besit gelukkig menslikheid, maar wel een met 'n rapier se lem. Uys (is) geniaal en dalk profeties. Ironie bly sy sterkste wapen.

– Paul Boekkooi, Beeld, 12 April 2012

Dotted with moments of shuddering truth.

– Christine Kennedy, Business Day, 10 April 2012

Uys is a brilliant political and social satirist. South Africa still needs this voice of dissent, his ability to highlight inequity, inept politicians and ill-advised policies with a biting wit that makes us laugh and makes the point.

– Lesley Stones, Daily Maverick, 11 April 2012

 In a rapidly-changing South Africa, Pieter-Dirk Uys remains a master exponent in the art of satire. He slickly blends the old with the new in a sublime display of artistry, something from which the younger generation of satirists can learn. He still has that acute eye, that wonderful gift for word play and that amazing talent for getting beneath the skin of a personality.

–  Peter Feldman, Artslink, 4 April 2012

****  It’s because of his wit, his eye on the SA politics ball and his faith in this country, that he’s a necessary voice and social commentator to this day.  He stresses towards the end that “Freedoms are still a reality, but they can so easily be replaced by laws that pretend to protect.”  It’s weighty issues balanced by the entertaining and gripping humour that only Pieter Dirk Uys can deliver. And he’s very optimistic and positive about the future of this country.

– Kgomotsho Moncho, The Post, 17 April 2012

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Reviews of Adapt or Fly in Durban — March 2012

***** Adapt or Fly is an enlightening, thought-provoking offering. ... Uys uses his satirical and comedic strengths to take the audience on a journey through SA’s political evolution — the highs, the lows, the good, the bad, the successes and particularly the socio-political failures — with no holds barred.

– Latoya Newman, Tonight, 13 March 2012

Adapt or Fly is without question one of Uys’s best shows, don’t miss it.

– Estelle Sinkins, The Witness, 14 March 2012

Uys’s usual mix of clever impersonations and brilliant repartee — often sailing fearlessly close to the wind. Uys loves his country with a passion and has done more to educate in the complexities of the country's politics than any television or newspaper coverage.

– Caroline Smart, artSMart, 8 March 2012

The barbs are biting, the puns politically incorrect, the satire scathing and wit intact. It's funny stuff.

– C. Roopnarain, Sunday Tribune, 11 March 2012

 

Marvelous master of wit!

– Billy Suter, The Mercury, 9 March 2012

Current, incisive and delivered with a razor-sharp and original wit

– Shelley Seid, Sunday Times, 1 April, 2012

Viva Uys!  Politicians may come and go, but he will endure forever.

– Gisele Turner, Going Places, 8 March 2012

Uys remains ever relevant. Adapt or Fly reminds those of us who were around at the time and serves to shine a light into a dark past for those who were born into democracy. Lest we forget.

– Brian Roodt, artSMart, 11 March 2012

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Review of Adapt or Fly in Grahamstown — February 2012

One of Uys’s most ominous and hilarious works.

– Mike Loewe, Algoa FM News, 16 February 2012

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Review of Adapt or Dye  in Johannesburg  —   July 2011

Seeing a 30-year revival of Adapt or Dye at the Market Theatre on Friday night not only rekindled memories from the bad old 1980s, it was also a reminder of what a master satirist and shrewd political commentator Pieter-Dirk Uys was, and still is.

Almost unbelievably, considering it was so rooted in 1980s National Party politics, the show is as fresh and funny and sharp and clever as ever. Friday night’s audience, including several people who weren’t even born in 1981, were in stitches throughout.  This is because the new-millennium incarnation of Adapt or Dye has been adapted by Uys to include entertaining explanations of context and draw parallels with the current sociopolitical landscape.

Uys continues speaking truth to power, in a manner that is crisp and cuts to the funny bone.

– Christina Kennedy, Business Day, 2 August 2011

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