Sunday, February 26, 2006
Bombay Dreams, tour, Orange County Performing Arts Center (2006)
Cast: Sachin Bhatt (Akaash), Reshma Shetty (Priya), Sandra Allen (Rani), Deep Katdare (Vikram), Aneesh Sheth (Sweetie), Christine Toy Johnson (Kitty DaSouza), Suresh John (Madan), & a great Ensemble
I've never seen a Bollywood movie, but A.R. Rahman has also written for Bollywood, so I'd guess it was depicted well. Bombay Dreams follows the story of Akaash's home slums targetted as the future site of a mall and his dream to star in Bollywood movies. It's a very silly story, but seems to fit the theme perfectly. The music is very upbeat and catchy. At this point, it's hard to imagine Shakalaka Baby leaving my head. I've been singing it since it appeared in the first act.
Bombay Dreams is a very short musical (only 2 hours and 15 minutes counting the 15 minute intermission, but it really is the perfect length for the show.
I understand why it didn't get any of the Tony Awards for which it was nominated, but Bombay Dreams is a fun show and the music is catchy. The costumes are amazing and the touring cast is great! I definitely recommend it if you didn't get around to seeing it on Broadway.
Grade: BLabels: 2006, comedy, drama, musical, romance, tour