Sex and democracy in "Elections and Erections"

Sex and democracy were both illegal in South Africa during the apartheid years, according to Pieter-Dirk Uys, who headlines the ART's current production. They are the subject of thought-provoking humor and political satire in Elections and Erections.

Uys, a playwright, actor and AIDS activist, delivers comedy and drama with equal brilliance. While most of the one-man play is packed with humor, the most moving part is his depiction of the fear he felt as a sexually active gay man in Johannesburg.

You'll enjoy this play, even if you're not intimately familiar with South African politics (though it helps). Uys makes the play contemporary by referencing the U.S. presidential election, Hillary Clinton and Eliot Spitzer, among others. I was entertained and even educated. I recommend seeing this production, which runs at the Zero Arrow Theater in Cambridge through May 4, 2008.