AFTER a year away from Durban stage, popular entertainment couple Shika Budhoo and Dhaveshan Govender return this week with their newest offering, Aya’s Boy, for one night only.
According to a press release Aya’s Boy, is a hysterical journey of a stubborn grandmother trying to marry off her delinquent grandson.
When 30-year-old Pooven aka The Fresh Prince of Montclair, hip hops into his granny’s house, little does he know that he’s headed for a comedy collision course with Vaneshree, the Gadhra-Bean Queen.
There is Aya’s cock-eyed hen-pecked husband, Thatha, and a very “spiritual” Bollywood guru, Guru GuptaPoo, who both get trapped in Aya’s plot to marry off her grandson.
In an interview with Tonight, Budhoo explained this tilted story’s origins: “Dhaveshan got the idea for Aya’s Boy after he turned 30. He found most grannies asking him when he would be getting married, and so it developed from there. Aya’s Boy made an appearance as a skit in last years skit-comedy show What You’re Laughing At? It was very popular and after that show, people kept asking: “what happens next?”, so we decided to turn it into a full show, and so Aya’s Boy, was born.”
“Shika plays Aya (a grumpy old granny) and I play Pooven (the boy in the title) who is Aya’s misfit grandson. Shika also takes the role of Vaneshree (the tilted Gadhra Bean Queen), and you can see me as Thatha (Aya’s cricket-loving henpecked husband), Guru Guptapoo (Aya’s ‘spiritual’ adviser) as well as Fathima (the loud-mouth corner girl). These hilarious characters are 100 percent Durban-born, and will be recognisable to anyone who has ever been to Durban,” said Govender.
The newly married couple said they were happy to be performing back on home soil.
“We relocated to Johannesburg and were editing our first film, Hindrance, a short horror… The Catalina Theatre has been revamped under new management this year and we are looking forward to being back on ‘home’ stage and making Durban’s belly ache with some comedy songs, dance and hilarious antics.
“Durban audiences have always been a hoot to perform to, they are generous with their laughter and applause, and have been super supporters of our original works, they truly come out to our comedy shows to let their hair down and we appreciate it,” they said.
• Aya’s Boy at the Catalina Theatre, Wilson’s Wharf, Saturday, December 14 at 8pm. Tickets are R100. Booking is through Computicket at 0861 915 8000.