"Bombay Dreams" is all about romance and raga beats

While most Americans are clueless about "Bollywood," film-savvy Seattleites are generally more enlightened about India's thriving Hindi-language film industry, and specifically the lavish, colorful musicals it produces by the hundreds every year. Purists may bristle at the word "Bollywood" (a slang combination of Bombay — India's most populated city, officially renamed Mumbai in 1995 — and Hollywood) for suggesting a poor-man's relation to Hollywood, but there's nothing secondary about Bollywood's box-office clout.

Known for their interchangeable plots, dazzling production numbers and popular stars who achieve god-like status among worshipping fans, Bollywood musicals are now a global phenomenon. When Seattle's own Scarecrow Video launched its short-lived video label in 1996, its first title was the 1992 Indian musical "God is My Witness." The film was somewhat unique, with its Afghani settings, but an otherwise typical Bollywood import, including its three-hour running time, common to the genre.

Since then, Bollywood's profile has blossomed with crossover hits like "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India," "Bollywood Queen" and "Bride and Prejudice," the latter a Bollywood/Hollywood hybrid, based on Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and starring Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai, often referred to as "the most beautiful woman in the world."

Given the popular trend of film-to-musical-stage adaptations like "Hairspray," "The Lion King" and "The Color Purple," it was only a matter of time before Broadway hitched its wagon to Bollywood's star. The results of this cross-pollination could've been awkward or even disastrous, but the general consensus is that "Bombay Dreams" is dazzling entertainment.

Seattle is the final stop for the national tour of this lavish stage production, which kicks off the 5th Avenue Theatre's 2006-07 season in high style Thursday night. It also marks the debut of the 5th Avenue's online ticketing service, allowing customers to bypass Ticketmaster and purchase tickets directly from the 5th Avenue's Web site, which offers stage views from different seating sections and up-to-date information on ticket availability.

"Bombay Dreams" was conceived when British/Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur ("Elizabeth," "The Four Feathers") and British musical icon Andrew Lloyd Webber grew fascinated with Bollywood and the music of India's most popular composer, A.R. Rahman.

With lyrics by Don Black and book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan (co-writer of the Broadway version), "Bombay Dreams" sticks to Bollywood tradition with its story of Akaash, a handsome young man from the slums of Bombay who dreams of Bollywood fame. He finds his path to stardom when he falls in love with Priya, the daughter of a famous Bollywood director. But Akaash soon learns the price of fame, and "Bombay Dreams" tugs at the heartstrings with its emphasis on the importance of cultural heritage and friendship.

The show was a huge, two-year hit in London (2002-04), but its 2004 Broadway run was a relative disappointment, closing after eight months yet still earning Tony nominations for costumes, choreography and orchestrations.

Best of both worlds

According to national tour director Baayork Lee, the road show combines the best elements of its predecessors, with some unique ingredients of its own.

"We had the opportunity to see what worked and what didn't in both shows," writes Lee via e-mail. "We also were very lucky to have Tom Meehan on our team to guide us. We took the positives from both shows and added a little of our own creativity to make this a new production. The opportunity to bring the show around the U.S. forced us to examine the needs of the audiences the show would play to. The pre-show movie video collage is one example of an addition we felt was necessary, never taking it for granted that the audience is familiar with Bollywood movies. You just have to come with an open mind to be entertained and have fun."

A Broadway veteran "practically born into musical theater" who originated the role of Connie in "A Chorus Line," Lee has made that seminal production a cornerstone of her career, directing over 35 companies in the production, as well as founding a Web site and writing a book ("On the Line: The Creation of 'A Chorus Line' ") devoted to the show. She's directing the upcoming Broadway revival, for which she will precisely reproduce Michael Bennett's original choreography. "Bombay Dreams" represented a refreshing change of pace.

"I am not a Bollywood expert," writes Lee. "However, I did have to do lots of research and was honored to have Lisa Stevens as choreographer, [who was] the assistant choreographer on the London and New York productions. She generously gave us so much history on the show and Bollywood."

A big finish

For Lee, the biggest challenge in staging "Bombay Dreams" was keeping audiences emotionally and visually involved for 2 ½ hours.

"We decided we had to tighten the book, add songs from the London production, and develop the character of the reporter, Kitty," writes Lee, referring to a character who serves as a kind of envoy to Western audiences. "However, the biggest challenge was to make this the life and journey of Akaash."

"Bombay Dreams" features the hit songs "Shakalaka Baby" and "Chaiyya Chaiyya" (the latter reworked from the 1998 Bollywood hit "Dil Se," and recently heard on the soundtrack of Spike Lee's "Inside Man"). Lee promises a grand performance as the tour draws to a close.

"The company will definitely be going out with a bang," writes Lee. "They'll give Seattle all they've got. Soon, they will be saying goodbye to the characters they have developed and owned, as well as the friendships they have made over the past year. I'm sorry I won't be there to say good bye."

Jeff Shannon: j.sh@verizon.net