The tour of "Bombay Dreams" continues. I might get another chance to see the show later this year if things work out just so. In the meantime:
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Preview piece by Lisa Bornstein:
Bombay boffo - India's colossal film industry inspires Andrew Lloyd Webber musical . By Lisa Bornstein, Rocky Mountain News, July 10, 2006
Quote:
The world's biggest film industry isn't in West L.A. It's farther west, by several thousand miles, in Bombay, India.
For more click on
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/o ... 76,00.html-----
Another preview for their Denver appearance:
Hollywood, Bombay-style: India's film tradition takes a bow on stage . By John Moore, Denver Post, 7/10/06
Quote:
"You'll always know the hero because his shirt is going to come off three or four times in the film," Katdare said with a laugh. "You'll know the heroine because she is going to get wet at least twice …”
For more click on
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_4016225-----
A piece about Bollywood and the local library:
Hooray for Bollywood . By Stacy Milbouer, Nashua Telegraph (NH), 6/19/06
Quote:
Most Bollywood films follow a similar formula called masala, the word for a collection of spices. They’re three to four hours long (and include an intermission), contain dozens of massively choreographed songs and dances, top stars, asimple love story (boy meets girl, falls in love but without scenes of kissing or sexual contact) lots of action but no bloodshed, and always a happy ending.
Since the films have made their way to the library’s catalog earlier this spring, they never stay on the shelves. The selections are perpetually checked out and there are reserve lists of five to seven people for each movie.
For more click
here-----
It's just a pretty face: ‘Bombay Dreams' is too superficial . By Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News, 6/8/06
Quote:
Bombay Dreams benefits from bits of stagecraft that combine sass and efficiency. But, in the end, the surface appeal stays on the surface.
For more click
here-----
An article aboutthe show's director, Baayork Lee, and Asians in the theater:
Dancer shimmied past obstacle of ethnicity on Broadway stages . By Esther Wu, Dallas Morning News, 6/8/06
Quote:
Before the 1960s, it was common for whites to be cast as Asians on Broadway. But Asians were never cast in non-Asian roles.
For more click
here-----
Hooray for Bollywood? Not in this case: Flash comes before substance in the clichéd tale" Bombay Dreams" . By Everett Evans, Houston Chronicle, 5/29/06
Quote:
Yet the numbers lean heavily on repetition, too often lapsing into sound-alike pop wallpaper. Even the best tunes are not much helped by Black's lyrics, which are pedestrian at best, ridiculous at their" Shakalaka Baby" worst.
For more click on
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent ... 11973.html-----
Is this a bad thing?
This play is a 'Bombay' nightmare: There's visual pizzazz ... and nothing else . By Bev Sykes, Davis Enterprise, 5/11/06
Quote:
Add atrocious dialog that apparently is meant to parody Bollywood movies (films made in India), lots of bare midriffs, sequins and glitter, and choreography with a lot of pelvic thrusts, and you can save yourself the price of a ticket.
For more click
here-----
Another preview article:
'Bombay Dreams' a lavish, fascinating muddle . By John Fleming, St. Petersburg Times (FL), 4/20/06
Quote:
Bombay Dreams has some good things going for it. An energetic, attractive young cast. A bright, cotton-candy look, with eye-popping Indian costumes. Great dancing. And most of all, the songs of A.R. Rahman, the superstar of Indian pop music, an infectious international sound that combines the propulsive beat and bass lines of hip-hop and the sweet whine of a traditional raga.
For more click [url=http://www.sptimes.com/2006/04/20/Artsandentertainment/_Bombay_Dreams__a_lav.shtml]
here[/url]
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An article about St. Louis native, Sachin Batt (Akash in the musical):
Bombay Dreams. By Judith Newmark, Post-Dispatch, 4/6/06
Quote:
In St. Louis, its lure is extra-potent: The touring production stars Sachin Bhatt, a 2000 graduate of Parkway Central High School. A young performer with oodles of onstage charisma, "Bombay Dreams" brings Bhatt home in a blaze of neon. He sings with charm, he dances with verve and he makes an entirely persuasive partner for his gorgeous leading lady, Reshma Shetty.
For more click
here-----
’Bombay Dreams’: A Messy Show . By Kerry Clawson, Akron Beacon Journal, 3/23/06
Quote:
For all of Bombay Dreams' spectacular eye candy and enticing Eastern sounds, the musical's story is completely forgettable…
For more click on
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/ (will require subscription and search - if you can't find you can e-mail me)
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A little about operatic singer Reshma Shetty cast as Priya the idealistic if naïve filmmaker:
SHE KNOWS BOLLYWOOD - YOUNG ACTRESS IN MUSICAL IN CLEVELAND GREW UP ON INDIA'S FILM SPECTACLES . By Kerry Clawson, Akron Beacon Journal (OH), 3/16/06
Quote:
The show is big and glitzy, with intricate sets that include a famous water fountain. Shetty is happy to say her character doesn't end up in the fountain.
For more click on
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/ (will require subscription and search - if you can't find it you can e-mail me)
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Bombay Dreams: A glimpse into India . By Randi Eichenbaum, AZ Wildcat Online, 7/12/06
Quote:
The rise of tabloids and paparazzi can make someone start to think that we Americans, with our Hollywood-obsessed culture, have really lost it. It is a relief to hear, however, that we might not be the only ones who worship the stars.
For more click
here
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For those who have or have not yet seen "Bombay Dreams" yet:
If you’re curious about all the talk about wet saris, midriffs, and etc from the show, click on
here From the Gallery on California Musical Theatre's website.
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