[NEOPAL]Berko review: BOMBAY DREAMS (Playhouse Square)

[Roy Berko]

‘BOMBAY DREAMS’ doesn’t get standing ovation at the
Palace

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	

IN 2002, when ‘BOMBAY DREAMS,’ now on stage at
Playhouse Square’s Palace Theatre, opened in London it
became a cult hit.  It ran until June of 2004.  Many
felt the reason for the success was the large Indian
population in England, who frequented the show.   When
it opened on Broadway in 2004, the show was met with
less enthusiasm.  It ran for only 284 performances. 
One review stated, “If you're suffering from a
ravenous hunger for rich, intelligent musical theatre,
you're unlikely to be satiated by ‘BOMBAY DREAMS’.”

That, and similar reviews not withstanding, one might
anticipate that a show produced by Andrew Lloyd
Webber, with a score by A. R. Rahman and Don Black,
and a book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan, which was
based on an idea by Shekhar Kapur and Lloyd Webber,
might have something to offer.   Unfortunately, based
on the touring production, the New York reviewer
seemed absolutely right.  

‘BOMBAY DREAMS’ tells the story of Akaash, a brash
young slum dweller who dreams of becoming a Bollywood
movie star and meeting his idol, the voluptuous screen
siren Rani.  And, as in all good fairy tales, whether
American or Indian, his dreams come true.  But, in
order for the plot to work, or at least to add some
suspense, Akaash has some personal costs to pay and
has to take part in the obligatory on-stage dance in
which he is drenched in a water fountain. 

The show attempts to mirror many a Bollywood musical
in its lavish and plentiful production numbers.  

Song titles include "Salaa'm Bombay," "Bollywood,"
"Love's Never Easy," "Lovely, Lovely Ladies,"
"Bhangra," "Shakalaka Baby," "I Could Live Here," "Is
This Love?," "Famous," "Chaiyya Chaiyya," "How Many
Stars?," "Hero," "Ganesh Procession," "The Journey
Home" and "Wedding Qawali."  In the local version,
authentic music was played adequately by a small pit
orchestra and two drummers placed in the stalls above
both sides of the stage.

The touring production is hardly an example of
masterful craftsmanship in either its technical or
performance qualities.  The sets were mainly colorful
drops, nothing like the Broadway and London visual
sights.  The sound system squealed on opening night
and drops were brought in at the wrong times.  As for
the acting, it ranged from amateur to
semi-professional.  This was not a high quality Equity
cast.  The “spectacular” dance numbers were less than
spectacular due to repetitive and ill performed
choreography.  

Sachin Bhatt , who portrayed Akaash, the slum boy who
becomes a star, lacked the necessary sensuality and
charisma.  He simply doesn’t have the acting, singing
or dancing abilities to make the character appealing. 
 He also has a distracting habit of snarling as he
sings. On the other hand, Reshma Shetty was quite
charming as Priya, the woman who finally wins Akaash’s
heart.  

The performance of Sandra Allen who portrayed Rani,
the over-the-hill movie star, was all on the surface. 
She was never really believable.  Aneesh Sheth, as
Sweetie, a eunuch who is in love with Akaash, was very
good.  Kenneth Maha, who was a replacement portraying
Priya’s father, was embarrassingly bad.  To make
matters worse, his fake whitish sideburns kept falling
away from his head, making him look like he had swan’s
wings sprouting out of his head.

In spite of all the problems, it was difficult not to
smile, shake your head at the ridiculousness of the
plot, and be mildly entertained by this light-weight
tribute to the Indian movie musical.

Capsule judgment:  Cleveland audiences give standing
ovations to almost anything .  A litmus test to the
lack of quality of ‘BOMBAY DREAMS’  was that there was
not a single person standing during the curtain call,
not even from the huge number of Indians who were in
attendance.  Too bad.  With a stronger cast and better
production qualities, “BOMBAY NIGHTS’ could have been
fun and even educational.  

‘BOMBAY NIGHTS’ runs through  April 2 at the Palace
Theatre in Playhouse Square.  For tickets calling
216-241-6000, 800-766-6048 or going on line to
www.playhousesquare.com.


Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com