For New York theatergoers, a visit to the London scene is a bit of a guessing game.
Which new London musicals are likely to hit Broadway next season or the season after?
There are at present four main contenders – the two favorites, “Bombay Dreams” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” and two slightly longer shots, Boy George’s “Taboo” and the new Ben Elton/Queen musical, “We Will Rock You.”
The most hyped of them all is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Bombay Dreams,” a musicalization of Bombay’s Bollywood scene.
It’s a fantastic subject. The Indian movie industry is one of the wonders of the modern world.
“Bombay Dreams” is both a staged Bollywood musical and a commentary on the stark contrast between the glamorous moviemaking scene and the city’s abject poverty.
The original idea came from Lloyd Webber and Shekhar Kapur, director of “Elizabeth” and many Bollywood features. The composer is A.R. Rahman, who has created soundtracks for more than 50 Hindi films.
Rahman is a real find, and his music for “Bombay Dreams” is exciting and fresh – a total Indian and Western mix, moving like a jukebox from melancholy lyricism to crazy showbiz razzmatazz.
Lyrics are by Don Black, of “Sunset Boulevard,” and the book is by Meera Syal, a British-born writer and actress of Indian parentage.
The story, both unlikely and melodramatic, follows a slum kid who goes on to become a big star. Some truly spectacular Bollywood moments are presented by a great cast, mostly Brits of Indian or Pakistani background.
The book needs a little work, but the musical is still a tremendous hit – tickets are almost impossible to get.
The less impressive show is “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” This is the kind of musical the late but unlamented “Seussical” tried to be. It is probably the pluperfect kids’ show.
Based, of course, on the movie, the show is pure corn. But the lyrics, by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, are murderously hummable.
Jeremy Sams, currently represented on Broadway by his staging of “Noises Off,” has done a good job with the stage adaptation. Director Adrian Noble and choreographer Gillian Lynne make the whole show hum like clockwork.
The show boasts such fine actors as Anton Rodgers and Edward Petherbridge, as well as West End debutant Emma Williams, who is indeed truly scrumptious as the heroine, Truly Scrumptious.
But there are only two stars who should make the journey to New York, when the show comes late next year. They are the hero Michael Ball, currently one of the musical theater’s great leading men, and of course the car itself, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – which does, indeed, fly out into the auditorium, much to the childrens’ delight.
Next week, I’ll tackle the two rock musicals.
