Spirited Bollywood Musical Live ...
“Why not try Bunty? He is married now, just the way you and your mother like them! “
Mala
Bombay Superstars is the 50th production from the arts producing company Phizzical and is a spectacular Bollywood style musical with many of Bollywood’s best loved tunes. Some have rewritten lyrics but I can’t go into detail because the lyrics are almost all in Hindi. Three of the songs are new for this musical: “Hello to Bombay”, “Qawali” and “Bombay Superstars” written by Robby Khela. All the songs are listed below.
The dialogue is in English and I found it easy to follow the storyline and was blown away by the costumes, lighting and choreography. The music is really accessible with good drumming and the audience reacted enthusiastically to many of the songs, knowing them from their Bollywood incarnations.
The story subtitled “A Scandalous Bollywood Musical” is a romance but at its centre, love stories outside marriage with heartbreak.
We start with a film producer, Pavan Picturewalla (Omar Khan) and his actress daughter Mala (Sowmya Jaykrish). Some years earlier Pavan had an affair with another actress, Mona (Rukmini Sircar) and she had a daughter Rani (Rekha Paunrana) who is now old enough to seek a career in Bollywood movies. Rani approaches Pavan but is excluded by him as he says he already has a daughter. This rejection sets Rani on a path of revenge.
Mala has a good film career but her controlling father pushes heart throb star Arjun (Chirag Rao) into marrying her; marriage means the end of Mala’s acting and singing, instead there is motherhood. Another actress Dolly (Sheetal Pandya) is destined to marry Bunty (Robby Khela) and this partnership provides much of the comedy in the musical with Bunty’s ego to the fore. Pavan tells us how much he loved Rani’s mother but chose to stay in his marriage. Very few people know who Rani’s father is including Mala and Arjun. Arjun has married one sister and unknowingly fallen in love with the other one.
Maybe the story has been told before but the audience were captivated and ready to complain about infidelity. The standard of dance is outstanding with costumes with luxuriant silks and embroidery, dresses that glitter with crystals making the dance sequences visual feasts. The director told me that he had cast the show on a colour blind basis to find the most talented dancers. I liked the mix of South Asian and modern dance.
There is dance with red fans for flirtatious Bunty. Arjun enters preferring action movies to romance with the dancers in uniforms and electronic type music. We see two formal weddings with the brides in red but Dolly’s wedding is upstaged by Rani. Both grooms behave badly, Bunty threatening to beat Dolly and Arjun later gaslighting Mala. There is great humour on Bunty and Dolly’s wedding night with two dancers hiding ready to scatter rose petals on the marital bed should Dolly and Bunty agree to get into bed.
A woman is shot at accidentally on set (think Alec Baldwin) and a man is sent to prison. The dancers pray for the condemned man in suppliance on their knees and with their hands together in prayer. The cast are talented singers and dancers and are believable. Credit to Sâmir Bhamra for his vision and to Leena Patel as choreographer.
I really enjoyed Bombay Superstars and feel certain that this extremely well crafted musical must surely find transfer so many more can see it.
Editor of TheatreVibe.co.uk
See ABOUT US
Musical Numbers
Act One
Hello to Bombay
Pyar Karne Wale
Bachna Ae Haseeno
Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani
Kora Kagaz
Na Koi Umang
Roop Tera Mastana
Chanda Hai Tu
Mere Sapno Ki Rani
Khatouba
Chura Liya
Arre Deewano
Sara Zamana
Main Na Bhoolunga
Main Shayr To Nahin
Jiska Mujhe Tha Intezar
Hoga Tumse Pyaara Kaun
Dekha Ek Khwab
Aap Jaisa Koi
Khaike Paan
Tera Mera Pyar
Ek Hasina Thi
Jumma Chumma
Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum
Act Two
Raat Baaki
Jhooth Bole
Manzillen Apni Jaga Hai
Kabhi Kabhie
Pardesiya
Aiyee Meherbaan
Aap Ki Nazron Ne
O Saathi Re
Mere Mehboob
Inteha Ho Gayee
Dum Maro Dum
Qawali
Yamma Yamma
Bombay Superstars
Shaan Se
Production Notes
Bombay Superstars
Writer, Designer and Director
Sâmir Bhamra
Cast
Starring:
Rekha Paunrana
Sowmya Jaykrishn
Chirag Rao
Robby Khela
Omar Khan
Sheetal Pandya
Rukmini Sircar
With:
Aaron Mistry
Callum Quinnen
Cole Dilley
Daisy Hardy
Kush Saigal
Magi Barbazova
Preeti Sian
Sophie Kandola
Tianna Sealy-Jewiss
Creatives
Director: Sâmir Bhamra
Designer: Sâmir Bhamra
Co-Set Designer: Aaman Pyar
Choreographer: Leena Patel
Lighting Designer: Pete Bragg
Sound Designer: Julian Starr
New Musical Arrangements: Hinal Pattani
New Songs by Robby Khela
Musical Director: Hinal Pattani
Producer: Phizzical
Information
Running Time: Two hours 50 minutes with an interval
Booking until 17th November 2024
Theatre:
Beck Theatre
Grange Road
Box Office: 0343 310 0044
Tube: Hayes and Harlington plus bus ride
Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge
at the Beck Theatre on 12th November 2024
