(Pic:Ashwin Singh, Dhaveshan Govender, Kajal Maharaj and Shika Budhoo)
Revisited version of New Suburbia is slicker and tighter. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Ashwin Singh’s The Looney Lahnee Show is currently running at the Catalina Theatre, the venue that housed his production in August last year titled New Suburbia which he co-wrote with Dhaveshan Govender. New Suburbia offered a bird’s eye view of South Africa’s Indian and Coloured community and the way in which they cope with the changes in the country
The Looney Lahnee Show is a revisited version of New Suburbia, focusing on the lives of Indian people who have moved to formerly all-White suburbs. This time around, the production is certainly much slicker, performances are tighter and new dramatic material also includes the vivacious Kajal Maharaj who presents a number of dance items.
In an open letter to the Performing Arts Network of SA (PANSA) last year, Ashwin Singh branded me – as he did the rest of The Mercury Durban Theatre Award judges - as lacking “the technical knowledge, intellectual depth and fundamental understanding of our multi-cultural artistic context to be able to confer awards on anyone”. So, read on at your peril!
There is much clever and witty material in this production, which was borne out by the chortles from audience members around me. The cast handle the comedy well – Ashwin Singh being particularly amusing as Uncle Johnny and Kajal Maharaj bringing to the production her whimsical charm. Shika Budhoo, always the consummate actress, gave us a range of characters from a fast-talking movie director to a cross-eyed television reporter. However, the star of the show is undeniably Dhaveshan Govender who has acquired a new maturity and compelling stage presence. I am happy to say that, for once at Catalina, I had no problems with audibility or articulation.
They’re all back – the opportunistic sales duo offering Lahnees’ Lukker something or other – whether it be Landrovers or lawnmovers; the Belle of the Bus; the smooth-talking condi; the Manchester United fanatic; the domestic worker whose family have moved to upmarket Ballito and the inimitable Auntie Shakun racing down the rugby field.
The production focuses on the spate of Bollywood movies being filmed in South Africa - particularly in Durban - and offers the audience a journey through the eyes of an aspirant actress/dancer. There appears to be no credit to a director and perhaps herein lies the need for an independent eye from the auditorium. The dance sequences that link the dramatic scenes come across as dance for dance’s sake. These could be more effectively interwoven into a firmer storyline which sees the character going through endless auditions until she cracks it as a news presenter.
The Looney Lahnee Show runs from Thursday to Sunday at the Catalina Theatre at Wilson’s Wharf until April 5. Tickets R70 (R45 pensioners and students). Please note that students must be in possession of a student card or in school uniform. A Buy One Get One Free offer applies to performances on Thursday at 20h00, Saturdays at 17h00 and Sundays at 14h00.
Bookings through: www.strictlytickets.com; www.catalinatheatre.co.za ; via the Strictly Tickets Call Centre on 087 8065000/ 073 7257381 or Thandeka at the Catalina Theatre – 031 305 6889. Taste of India offers discount to showgoers, so why not enjoy the scenic surroundings of the area to the full with a meal before or after the show? – Caroline Smart
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