From today's Toronto Star:
Bombay Dreams (BD) which open on Broadway on Thursday was savaged by the critics.
Some of the strong comments made:
"a sari affair" with "more glitz than glory, more sequins than truth." - - - the Post
"How do you say 'mind-numbing bunk' in Hindi?" . . . . "contrived story and generic sounding tunes . . . a Big Mac sprinkled with curry powder." - - - U.S.A. Today
"a misbegotten musical, synthetic to the core" and the lyrics "clunky gracelessness" - - - Variety
"expensive but surprisingly bad" - - - Press
But the coup de grace comes from the Wall Street Journal:
"It won't be enough if Bombay Dreams flops - I'd like to see it removed from the Broadway Theatre with bulldozers at high noon." he goes on to say "tunless tunes, vapid lyrics, dull choreography and pointlessly expensive sets."
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I think that the American critics are highly critical of non-American productions.
I saw BD in London and enjoyed it, although there were parts that I would describe (using my sons' lingo) as cheesy i.e. garish scenes & embarrasing dialogue in places. Some of the music (by Rahman) is catchy but then I think you need to be somewhat familiar with music from India. The choreography reflects the Bollywood scene which, as we know, often parodies western pop music and dance and if one is not familiar with that scene it is difficult to appreciate. I enjoyed the song "Shakalaka Baby" and the train scene dance. You can sample some this yourself by visiting:
http://www.bombaydreamsthemusical.com
Also, showing it in London where the British have had a lot of exposure to South Asian culture is a very different environment to showing it in America which does not share the same experience.
I felt that it was a mistake taking it to N.Y. first. They should have had it open in Toronto first and then fine tune it for N.Y.
Tim de Mello CANADA
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