WHAT started out as a spontaneous character for TV presenter, comedienne and MC, Jailoshini Naidoo, has mushroomed into a larger-than-life alter ego over time.
Given Aunty Rumba’s soaring popularity, Naidoo decided it was time to give her a proper introduction to fans with Aunty Rumba and Friends, to be seen at The Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City.
And she’s added comedians Mervyn Pillay and Neville Pillay into the side-splitting fray.
On the genesis of her alter ego, Naidoo shares: “Aunty Rumba actually developed from my having fun, impromptu telephone conversations with friends some years ago. It was purely for our own entertainment. And it continued to develop through my observations and impersonations of some of my aunties and people I met.
“When I did my comedy show, Curry on Laughing, I decided to include this character. Since then she just evolved and got bigger and funnier and gained a life of her own each time we did the show.”
Interestingly, Aunty Rumba also made her TV debut on SABC2’s magazine show, Eastern Mosaic.
Elaborating on how she fleshed out her alter ego, she admits: “I have based her on an aunt of mine but, really, I owe the success of Aunty Rumba to all those amazing, colourful, funny aunties and grannies we all have encountered at some point in our lives; be it at a birthday party, funeral, a doctor’s waiting room or on a plane.
“These truly South African women inspired me through their fearlessness to say what they felt about absolutely anything, from cuisine to politics, in their own unique way.
“I think every community – not just the Indian community – has a funny, crazy aunty.”
In the show, Naidoo and her two male counterparts will keep the audience in stitches with myriad skits, in which the characters will share problems, dish out advice and interact with the audience.
Naidoo warns: “Nobody is spared, she is totally unpredictable.
“Each of the comedians has a very different style and content, so the show is a nice balance of variety.”
As for the set, she reveals: “We have adopted the minimalist approach with this show with very little props. We are aiming for the characters to fill the stage. It’s all about the comedy, the material, voices, accents, posture and interaction.”
• After 12 sold-out shows in Durban, Aunty Rumba and Friends will be staged at The Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City on Saturday. Tickets cost R150 at Computicket or The Lyric box office: 011 248 5000.