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Salaam Bombay Dreams!
Rahman's musical eyes Broadway
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Arthur J Pais
Fulfilling Andrew Lloyd Webber's prophecy that A R Rahman would revitalise a jaded West End, Bombay Dreams is on its way to become a hit
London Sez Salaam 'Bombay'. The catchy headline in the influential trade publication Variety is indeed coming true. Defying the sceptics who called it a vanity effort by Lloyd Webber, the $7 million musical set in Bollywood has extended its run from September 29 to the end of March 2003. Plans are being finalised not only to take it to New York and Toronto, but to Mumbai too. In-between there could be one or two editions on a national tour in England.
The decision to extend the show came just when the hit musical, Kiss Me, Kate, which received stronger reviews than Bombay Dreams, announced it will be shutting down by the end of August. The American import, which was expected to run for at least two years, would have completed eight months in London by then, losing over $2 million
The first-ever show to feature an entire cast of South Asians, Bombay Dreams has received the attention of the American media, with articles about it in The New York Times, Daily News and New York Post, good omens for its Broadway run.
Meanwhile, Bombay Dreams, which has received mixed reviews from broadsheets such as The Times, but raves from more popular tabloids such as Daily Mail, has received unanimous praise for its soaring music and spirited
choreography.
'What a weird and wonderful hybrid this new Bollywood musical is,' Robert Gore-Langton wrote in the Daily Express, giving it four stars (our of four).
The widely circulated freebie Metro raved about the show's energy and spectacle, giving it four stars too.
Daily Mail's Michael Coveney said, among other things, Lloyd Webber had successfully brought to England's mainstream audience, 'the astounding musical talent of A R Rahman, the 'Asian Mozart'."
Its cast album, released about two weeks ago, is on its way to be among the top 20, and the single, Shakalaka baby, is a huge hit.
The musical, which opened gingerly on June 19 with a modest advance of about $2 million, now reportedly has over $4 million in advance. Lloyd Webber had told Variety recently that it was selling about $180,000 worth tickets each day. The weekly break-even is $280,000. The top ticket goes for 40 pounds (about $60). There are whispers best seats could soon cost $70-$75.
'I am absolutely thrilled,' Lloyd Webber, creator of such world classics as Cats, The Phantom Of The Opera and Starlight Express, told the media in London this week. 'It is quite extraordinary that this musical has come from zero to being sold out.'
If Bombay Dreams continues its success story, it will be his first hit in more than a decade.
'We were nervous about how the show would be received because we knew we had something very different,' he continued. 'But it seems to have absolutely captured the imagination of people who don't normally go to musicals. The audience is different from any I have seen for a long time.'
Earlier, Rahman had told Rediff.com that show offered music that "would be enjoyed by the very young and older audiences. There is something for everyone."
Lloyd Webber said this week: 'We wanted to make people feel that musicals are hip and cool again. Musicals were losing a younger audience and I think we have gone some way to reversing that."
But the expensive show is from being a solid hit, though several shows each week at the 2,000-seat Apollo Victoria Theatre have gone full. The next few months will be crucial to its success. Lloyd Webber wanted to reduce his risk by going for a smaller theater, ideally with 1,500 seats but he could not get any. Meanwhile, early this year, his Starlight Express quit Apollo Victoria after a 18-year-old run.
Lloyd Webber, Rahman and director Steven Pimlott had also said that while they surely wanted the South Asian community to enjoy the show, they wanted the non-South Asians to discover refreshingly different kind of entertainment. Lloyd Webber says he is more than happy at the way the show has drawn whites in England and tourists from over the world.
Raza Jaffrey, who plays the slum boy who becomes a big Bollywood star and then gets disillusioned with fame and glitzy surroundings, told Rediff.com that many young Asians have brought their non-Asian friends to the show. "The word-of-mouth has been terrific," Jaffrey, who signs dozens of autographs each day for mainly young girls, said.