BOMBAY DREAMS UNVEILS NEW CAST
By Lopa Patel
(18 June 2003)

As I waited with the tense and nervous hopefuls auditioning for the chance to star in 'Bombay Dreams' earlier in March this year, it struck me how important the show has become for British Asians. Bombay Dreams has done for Asian Theatre what 'Lagaan' did for Bollywood - created a new quality standard.

The musical, launched by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber in June 2002 is already estimated to have grossed £10 million and made stars of leads Preeya Kalidas and Raza Jaffrey. The term 'Shakalaka Baby' has entered common usage and will no doubt feature in the next Oxford Book of Quotations'. Even A R Rahman has gained a wider following among non-Asians, despite criticisms that the musical's English lyrics pale against his dramatic music. In one word, 'Bombay Dreams' is a SUCCESS.

This success has set a new standard for creative British Asians everywhere. Long consigned to 'fringe' theatre and walk on parts in TV and films, the acting talent among the Asian community has been languishing largely unrecognized. Indeed, even today there are no real Asian contenders for an Oscar. And yet the South Asian community is hugely talented. The heritage of Bollywood has given us a mixed singing, dancing and comedy style rarely found in Hollywood today.

Although, 'Bombay Dreams' is a stage musical it has created something all Asian artists aspire to. It has also created the largest pool of Asian talent outside of South Asia. The producers struggled when seeking stars for the original launch. These new auditions, for contracts starting in June 2003 attracted over 1200 applicants. David Grinrod Associates and Sam Burgess, musical director from the show, narrowed this down to 350 hopefuls based on candidates' previous experience.

The people I met all seemed perfect for the show - they had poise, they could sing and they all looked fantastic. I did not envy the judges having to filter out the most suitable from among this group. "What we are principally looking for is the ability to sing," explained Sam Burgess, "and the stamina to do this eight times a week for a year".

The schedule for the show is grueling. Apart from the daily show (twice daily on Wednesday), the musical is fairly long and the actors have to dance and sing. Choreographed by Farah Khan, the dance steps are complicated. A R Rahman's hit number 'Chaaiya Chaaiya' even features a moving train! Hardly surprising that the Bombay Dreams team is looking for innate singing ability at the auditions, as there is little time for voice coaching after dance training from the Honey Kalaria Dance Academy.

At the auditions, applicants were asked to sing a song of their choice accompanied by a pianist in front of five judges. Most were unsure of what the judges were seeking, and quite frankly when trying to unearth 'raw' talent even the judges probably didn't know. To their credit Bombay Dreams is trying to nurture new talent for the future. They invited back successful hopefuls to workshop-style second auditions in April and May, where many more from the Bombay Dreams team were on hand to offer guidance and advice. Surely an invaluable service for any wannabe Asian actor? This move is not entirely altruistic. The producers intend to take the show to Broadway and Canada and obviously plan for it to run on the London stage for years to come. So nurturing talent is key to future success.

Although Preeya Kalidas's move to the Broadway Production is yet to be confirmed, Burgess hopes that a significant number of the cats will renew yearly contracts. "Typically in the industry about 50% of the actors renew," he said, "so in Bombay Dreams with a cast of 45 people we still need between 20-25 new people". More stars, like actress Ayesha Dharker who launched the show playing 'Rani'. Dharker was only contracted to feature in the show until December 2002 and has since been replaced by Sophiya Haque.

At the auditions in March, rumors abound about the production team's ambitions to net a top Bollywood starlet for the lead role. The show certainly needs it. Meera Syal's script features not only the lead male 'Akash (Raza Jaffrey) and lead female 'Priya' (Preeya Kalidas), but also Bombay Hijra 'Sweetie' (played by Raj Gatak), the local villain, Preeya's jailbird father and an aging film journalist based on Syal's 'Smita Smitten' character from 'Goodness Gracious Me'. There are at least half a dozen key parts for Asian men and women and about 40 others in the supporting cast.

This need was apparent in the care taken during the new auditions. Equity card holding Asians who did not consider applying must be now gnashing their teeth in frustration that some aspiring new talent could be plucked from drama school and propelled to stardom. Even if the meteoric rise failed to materialise, a stint on 'Bombay Dreams' would look good on the CV, and the shows producers will have acquired the Equity card for you in the mean time.

Although there is abundant talent on the Indian sub-continent the show is trying hard to nurture home grown British Asian actors. I could not tell which of the talented individuals I expect to see in the show from June Onwards. The fact that they were at the auditions is success in itself.

Bombay Dreams won the 'Best Play/Theatre Production' category at the EMMA Awards 2003 fending off competition from Tanika Gupta's acclaimed 'Fragile Land', David Farr's 'Crime & Punishment in Dalston' and Roy Williams' controversial production 'Sing You Heart Out for the Lads'. The show unveiled its new cast on 18 June 2003. Stephen Rahman Hughes and Zehra Naqvi take on the lead roles from Raza Jaffrey and Preeya Kalidas and despite first night nerves, it seems this show will certainly go on and on.

SPECIAL TICKET OFFER FOR BOMBAY DREAMS.

Bombay Dreams combines the glamour of the movies, heart-aching romance and epic spectacle. The show tells the story of Akaash, who dreams of becoming a huge movie star and of his fateful encounter with Priya the daughter of a great film director.

** 6 TICKETS FOR THE PRICE OF 4 **

To celebrate it's first Birthday, Bombay Dreams is currently offering a special ticket promotion. 6 TICKETS FOR THE PRICE OF 4! Best available seats (£42.50*, £37.50*, £32.50*) reduced to £25.00 per person for Tuesday - Thursday evening performances at 7.45pm and Sunday matinee performances at 3pm. The offer is valid for performances to 6th July 2003. TO BOOK CALL Ticketmaster NOW on 0870 606 3549 and quote "6 for 4". Tickets are subject to availability and at the discretion of the Box Office. This offer does not apply to previously purchased tickets. No other discount may apply. Minimum of 6 tickets per booking. *plus booking fee.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

Click here for the full new cast list for 'Bombay Dreams'.
Click here for our review of 'Bombay Dreams'.
Click here for other articles related to 'Bollywood'.
Click here to visit the Bombay Dreams website.