SCRAPBOOK MEMORIES… every now and then BILLY SUTER dips into scrapbooks that piled up during his 24 years as Arts Editor of The Mercury newspaper in Durban (he took early retirement in December 2016 to start this site) and, just for fun, rediscover reviews and interviews from yesteryear. The clipping pictured above is a fun interview with legendary South African actor-playwright PAUL SLABOLEPSZY, from March 17, 1999. At the time, Slabolepszy was performing in his play, Life’s a Pitch, at Durban’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.
IT’S back to March of 1999 for Durban theatre memory-making, as we flip through my scrapbooks from The Mercury to revisit an interview with actor-playwright Paul Slabolepszy, at a time when he was starring in his play Life’s a Pitch, at Durban’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. The comedy focused on two umpires and Paul labelled it “possibly my funniest play yet”.
The interview, much of it tongue-in-cheek, was also to discuss the release, a few months earlier, of the hit film with Bill Flynn, Heel Against the Head, based on a Slabolepszy play. It centred on rugby fans who get up to mischief.
Paul discussed his greatest extravagances (“Cappuccino and chocolate cake at the best local coffee shop I can find”); listed among his all-time favourite films 2001: A Space Odyssey and Unforgiven; and, when asked about music, replied that he loved Bryan Ferry, Annie Lennox, Aretha Franklin and Steve Winwood, adding: “Don’t ever play me Air Supply, Abba, or anything by Neil Diamond or Michael Jackson”.
He was asked what two of his most treasured possessions were and answered: “My PC and my trout fishing-rod”, and pointed out that he practised transcendental meditation, when asked to mention something the general public did not know about him.
Slabolepszy was also asked who he would give gold to meet, and replied: “I wouldn’t give gold to meet anyone. The people I meet day to day are gold enough”.
