Andrew Lloyd Webber's announcement that everything is going swimmingly for Bombay Dreams, which has just extended its booking period to March 2003, suggests that his gamble on producing the Bollywood musical has paid off.
According to Lloyd Webber, Bombay Dreams is playing to capacity houses despite a low initial advance and mixed reviews from the critics: "It is quite extraordinary that this musical has come from zero to being sold out. I am absolutely thrilled," he said.
Bombay Dreams's success is all the more gratifying — and for theatre in general, not just Lloyd Webber and his investors — because the show, which cost some £4 million to stage, is an entirely new musical rather than a revival or one based on an existing body of songs.
There is also talk about the show opening in the United States and/or Canada.
—By Paul Webb Theatrenow
