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Story by Jack Foley
SIR ANDREW Lloyd Webber has officially posted closure notices
for his musical, Bombay Dreams, prior to its transfer to
Broadway.
The musical will close in the Summer, on June 13, following a
two-year run at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. The show had
been booking up to September 26.
In a statement, Lloyd Webber explained: "Having been in
New York, and seen some of the rehearsals for the show, I think
that the exciting developments that have been made in terms of
the book, the score, and the set designs mean that this is the
show I would like to see in the UK."
The developments in question come as part of the substantial
makeover being given to the production in time for its Broadway
debut, and which will be used for a UK tour, in early 2005, ahead
of a planned West End return.
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Bombay Dreams marked a change of direction for Lloyd Webber,
in that it does not feature any of his music, but rather that
of Indian composer, AR Rahman, who has composed the music for
more than 50 Hindi films.
Lloyd Webber conceived the new work with filmmaker, Shekhar Kapur,
who serves as co-producer.
The musical tells the story of young slum-dweller, Akaash, who
dreams of becoming a huge star in Bollywood, the £750 million
Indian industry that produces and internationally distributes
some 600 films a year.
He subsequently encounters the beautiful Priya and her father,
a corrupt movie mogul, which sets him on his way - but fame brings
a price, and how much is Akaash willing to give up?
The current London cast features Stephen Rahman-Hughes (Akaash),
Zehra Naqvi (Priya), Ravin J Ganatra (Madan), Munir Khairdin (Vikram),
Royce Ullah (JK), Raj Ghatak (Sweetie) and Sophiya Haque (Rani).
The show has music by AR Rahman, with English song lyrics by
Don Black and a book by Meera Syal.
The New York production will open at the Broadway Theatre on
April 29, and a feature film is also in the works.
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