Baayork Lee to Direct Bombay Dreams Tour
By Andrew Gans
23 Dec 2005
Baayork Lee, whose many Broadway performance credits include the original cast of A Chorus Line, will direct the international tour of Bombay Dreams, the Andrew Lloyd Webber-produced musical that first played London and later Broadway.
The tour — which will also feature musical direction by Kevin Farrell, choreography by Lisa Stevens, scenic design by Ken Foy, lighting design by John McLain and sound design by Peter Fitzgerald — will officially open Feb. 21, 2006, in Costa Mesa, CA, after an out-of-town tryout in Tucson, AZ. Casting and additional venues will be announced shortly.
Bombay Dreams — featuring a score by A R Rahman and Don Black and a book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan — was based on an idea by Shekhar Kapur and Lloyd Webber, who co-produced the London mounting. The New York production at the Broadway Theatre played 31 previews and 284 regular performances before closing Jan. 1, 2005.
Bombay Dreams tells the story of Akaash, a brash young slum dweller who dreams of becoming a Bollywood movie star and meeting his idol, the voluptuous screen siren Rani. And wouldn't you know it, his dreams come true—but not without some personal costs and a good dousing in an on-stage dancing fountain.
The production mirrors many a Bollywood musical in its lavish and plentiful production numbers, which find a good portion of the grinning Bombay population joyously dancing in unison to a propulsive beat. The show's centerpiece is perhaps the disco-ish "Shakalaka Baby," in which Rani and Akaash dance in and around a growing fountain.
The show, which brought East Indian-flavored music and dance to the West End and later to Broadway, had its world premiere at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre on June 19, 2002.
Song titles include "Salaa'm Bombay," "Bollywood," "Love's Never Easy," "Lovely, Lovely Ladies," "Bhangra," "Shakalaka Baby," "I Could Live Here," "Is This Love?," "Famous," "Chaiyya Chaiyya," "How Many Stars?," "Hero," "Ganesh Procession," "The Journey Home" and "Wedding Qawali."
Producers for the upcoming tour include Atlanta's Theater of the Stars, Bucephalus Touring LLC and The Independent Producers Network.
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