Access Atlanta > Arts > Our Reviews > Archives > 2006 > August > 09 > Entry
Bombay Dreams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Shakalaka, baby!” “Bombay Dreams,” which opened Tuesday at the Fox, is a musical theater version of a Bollywood movie, the wildly popular and somewhat ridiculous Indian cinema style that marries lavish, extravagant dance numbers and gorgeous costumes with silly plotting and characters straight out of summer-stock melodrama. Bollywood (a portmanteau of Bombay and Hollywood) is pure eye-and-ear candy, heavy on the sucrose, and if you have a problem with that, surely there’s a Eugene O’Neill Festival starting somewhere.
The musical is set up like a Bollywood movie about the making of a Bollywood movie, or something like that; consistency is one of those nuisances that gets trampled whenever a couple dozen dancers get to stomping out rhythms in elaborate choreography, which happens a lot, quite happily. As always, there’s the hero, Akaash (Sachin Bhatt), a “slum-boy” who wants to be a movie star, and of course, gets his wish, only to find that’s not what makes him happy. There’s the good girl, Priya (Reshma Shetty), and the shallow, but superficially more attractive, girl, Rani (Sandra Allen).
If you think you know where it’s going, of course you do; there are Disney cartoons that push back stronger against our expectations.
But that’s Bollywood, and “Bombay Dreams” plays it up and winks at it simultaneously. “This could only happen in a dream,” exclaims Akaash during his improbable ascendancy. “Or in the far-fetched script of a Bollywood musical,” snips his friend, Sweetie (Aneesh Sheth). Oh, about Sweetie. He’s a eunuch, and although Sheth has a great voice and some memorable scenes near the end, for much of the musical he has to drag out every tired, mincing gay stereotype imaginable in what’s meant to be comic relief.
Such are the conventions of Bollywood. But the biggest convention of all is the wet sari scene. Because there is no sex, not even kissing, and very little skin in family-friendy Bollywood flicks, it’s become traditional to have a scene where the dancing girls find themselves in a fountain, getting drenched, but still heavily swathed. “Bombay Dreams” pulls off its own wet sari scene, complete with towering, gushing fountain set up center stage, followed by half a dozen crew members pushing squeegees and mops afterward. It’s sort of the falling chandelier of “Bombay Dreams.”
Speaking of falling chandeliers, the show was produced, but not scored, by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who hired real Bollywood talent to assemble it. It played London in 2002 and Broadway in 2004, never to much critical success or popular demand. Now it’s out on the road, turning the Fox into the Taj Y’All for a week.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: Theater
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Daniel
August 10, 2006 9:05 AM | Link to this
Caryn told me to keep the tickets.
By Monica
August 10, 2006 10:17 AM | Link to this
I attended last night’s performance and I left after Act 1. This was so boring and predictable!!! The jokes were LAME and juvenile…Just totally predictable. I have seen better Seinfeld episodes better than this. If you are into the Bollywood thing then you may like it. I did not care for it at all.
By Jezebelle
August 10, 2006 11:40 AM | Link to this
I liked the show, the jokes were not lame nor juvenile, and judging from the applause they were getting during the show proves it !!! and how can you even compare it to Seinfeld.
Bollywood definetly isnt your cup of tea !
By Jennifer
August 10, 2006 12:11 PM | Link to this
I’ve always wanted to get into the Bollywood thing - but I think the gay stereotypes will keep me away. I try not to make everything fit my idea of equality, but I’m not sure I’m up to seeing their idea of gay folks, either.
By andrew
August 10, 2006 12:31 PM | Link to this
The two hoisted musicians playing the percussions made the show for me. Its worth going just to see them, if you remember to look away from the stage, that is.
By Peggy
August 10, 2006 1:13 PM | Link to this
Please tell me that it is going to worth fighting traffic to get there.
By Dancing Dolly
August 10, 2006 1:47 PM | Link to this
I saw Bombay Dreams on Wed night. The colors and costumes, the music and dancing is pure India… I like that country’s music and dancing so I really enjoyed the play. Who cares about the plot? Most plots are about boy/girl meets girl/boy, they fall in love but something prevents true love from prevailing until the end of the story. So what’s new with plots? All plays and movies have similar plots. However in Bombay Dreams between the boy-girl story line are scenes with singing and dancing and showing India-like culture. Hooray for something in Atlanta. I am disgusted and tired of plays that are about 4 letter words or sick violence like “Chicago” and “Brooklyn” was. Bombay Dreams is a fun production and is colorful with great music and dance numbers, For me, it was a time-out of the negatives of modern, sick Hollywood and many Broadway shows. So go buy a ticket for Bombay Dreams and have a fantastic time!
By Brad
August 10, 2006 1:49 PM | Link to this
I thoroughly enjoyed it! The leads were gorgeous and the dancing was very impressive! Probably unlike anything that will be seen in Atlanta again!
By ajeet
August 10, 2006 3:02 PM | Link to this
“…somewhat ridiculous Indian cinema style that marries..”….. The author’s comments just confirms the ignorance of his knowledge and appreciation of foreign cinema. The author probably enjoys the “ridiculous” american cinema of ” Rocky” and “Rambo” with a grotesque actor killing everyone on screen or does he just enjoy the countless movies with the american obesession of serial killers and “ridiculous” courtroom dramas. I’d say, grow up and learn to appreciate other cultures’s tastes. Not all movies made in India are like this and it is stupidity to stereotype this movie as the quintessential “Bollywood”. BTW- We Indians take great pride in our movies and the word “Bollywood” just degrades it so please refrain from using these terms.
By ajeet
August 10, 2006 3:10 PM | Link to this
“…somewhat ridiculous Indian cinema style that marries..”….. The author’s comments just confirms the ignorance of his knowledge and appreciation of foreign cinema. The author probably enjoys the “ridiculous” american cinema of ” Rocky” and “Rambo” with a grotesque actor killing everyone on screen or does he just enjoy the countless movies with the american obesession of serial killers and “ridiculous” courtroom dramas. I’d say, grow up and learn to appreciate other cultures’s tastes. Not all movies made in India are like this and it is stupidity to stereotype this movie as the quintessential “Bollywood”. BTW- We Indians take great pride in our movies and the word “Bollywood” just degrades it so please refrain from using these terms.