As Ons Twee Eers Getroud Is!

As Ons Twee Eers Getroud Is! ("Once we two are married!") is a romantic farce in four acts in Afrikaans by Gerhard J. Beukes (1913-1998).

(Though Beukes was fond of using exclamation marks in his titles, the title of this play is sometimes also written As Ons Twee Eers Getroud Is)

The original text

Described as "'n Spel in vier bedrywe oor 'n Afrikaanse familie in die stad". ("a play in four acts about an Afrikaans family in the city"), it is a farce about the crisis that delops when the Van Der Merwe family, about to celebrate 25 years of marriage, discover they have no copy of the marriage certificate, and may have been living in sin for all that time.

Published in Pretoria J.L. van Schaik in 1952, reprinted numerous times since.

The play not only became a huge favourite of both professional and amateur companies over the years, but also assured Beukes the Hertzog Prize for Drama in 1952 (along with his works Langs die steiltes and Salome Dans!).

Translations and adaptations

Adapted as a film by Pierre de Wet and Jan Perold (released in 1962)

Adapted and filmed for television by Henry Mylne, assisted by Fred Nel (broadcast 1984).

Adapted for radio and directed by Margot Luyt, with technical input by Terence Carr and Paul Zimmerman, features Kitty Albertyn, Thereze Benz, Jan Cilliers, Trudi du Plessis, Jan Ellis, Jan Lombard, Trix Pienaar, Edward Turner and Johan van Jaarsveld. Recorded and first broadcast by the SABC in 1986.

Adapted for radio and directed by Johan Rademan in 2002, with André Rossouw, Kitty Albertyn, Juanita Swanepoel]], Johan Nel, Pieter Cilliers, Ronel Geldenhuys, Leon Kruger, Pedro Kruger and Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck. Broadcast by the SABC on the programme Radioteater in 2002.

Both radio versions have been re-broadcast several times over the years.

Performance history in South Africa

Given the popularity of the play, what follows below is but a selection of productions over the years.

1952: First performed professionally by NTO in 1952, playing for 185 performances. The cast included Dan Welman, Sara Louw, Pieter Wilcocks, Tromp Terreblanche, Emgee Pretorius, Nilo Naudé van Zyl, James Norval (Oupa), Anna Cloete (Violet Bloom). Directed by Siegfried Mynhardt. Wena Naudé played the role of "Ma" until she had to leave the company in September.

1966: Performed as As Ons Twee Eers Getroud Is in the Biesenbach-saal in Worcester during June/July by Die Dramaklub Skool vir Blindes Worcester (i.e. the newly founded Drama Club of the School for the Blind in Worcester), directed by Eunice Diedericks. The cast consisted of Gerhard Ferreira, Pierre Claassens, Elize Viljoen, Anton Pienaar, Carina Barnard, Bennie van Rensburg, Pieter Blom, Erna Blom, Anna-Marie Moolman, Jeanette Heyns and Eunice Diedericks.