Krishnan's Dairy at Sky City Theatre

Krishnans Dairy delivers on its promise to tell a story of ordinary people and legendary love, and as a result everyday people love it.

The show has been kicking around in various forms since 1994 and is part of a loose trilogy of Indo-Kiwi plays that have been seen by more than 100,000 New Zealanders.

Word of mouth has steadily grown and Indian Ink's Justin Lewis and Jacob Rajan have put in the hard yards. And it shows. Krishnan's Dairy is a well crafted play with a strong structure, plenty of laughs and a seamless performance from Rajan.

The Sky City Theatre was packed out with mums, dads and a few kids who, judging by the laughter and applause, were enjoying a fun, family friendly night out.

More than a show that is safe to take your mum to, this is one that you really should take your mum to. Even if it is just so she can enjoy hearing one character cajole another with the advice that the best way to impress a girl is to be nice to your mother.

Krishnan's Dairy tells the story of hardworking Gobi, his arranged-marriage wife Zina and their quest to find a new life in New Zealand running a corner dairy.

The play opens with Rajan singing a song celebrating the couple, their love for each other and their hardworking life. He sings an update at the halfway point and near the end of the play in sort of a cross between a Greek chorus and working class hero/singer songwriter Billy Bragg.

Rajan is a charismatic, graceful performer who keeps the audience engaged, no mean feat given that he plays all the characters and signals the change of person using masks and small costume changes.

One stand-out scene has him telling himself off for stealing stock, demanding that a contraband sweet be spat out and then catching the peppermint in his hand, all the while switching between the two characters and playing it for laughs.

John Verryt's set is simple and functional, consisting of brightly coloured sari cloths as a backdrop, a wooden shop counter and a flower stand. It provides a good foundation for Rajan's performance, which dances around the stage.

At times it did feel like the Sky City stage might be a little large for such intimate theatre, and more daring and colourful lighting might have helped to heighten some of the more dramatic moments.

It was interesting to see the show again after so many years. For me it seemed a bit gentler and not as different and innovative as it once did, although Rajan was just as polished and it was much funnier than I remembered.

For the mums sitting around me it was fresh, delightful and affirming.

What: Krishnan's Dairy
Where: Sky City Theatre
When: August 10 & 11