Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre- until 18th August 2024
Reviewer Alec Legge
5*****
Off to Queen Elizabeth Hall to see this musical show presented by the Rifco Theatre Company in company with the Watford Palace Theatre and HOME Manchester.
The show was conceived by Rifco’s Artistic Director Mr and is ‘an all singing, all dancing tale of heroes and villains, with the all the costumes and the spectacle of a Bollywood feature film. It tells the tale of being British in Bollywood and it explores what it takes to get to the top‘,
The story is that Frankie, Laila Zaidi, grows up having lost her mother and all she really wants is a loving family but she accompanies a friend to an audition where by chance she meets up with an up and coming director. He realises Frankie has talent and persuades her to come to Bollywood with him. Once there she becomes a star taking part in films and also becomes enmeshed with her co star Raju King, Geet Sagar, and becomes to all intents, a diva. However she comes to realise that the Bollywood industry is sexist and misogynistic with men always playing the leading roles. In the end she realises the truth and makes amends with her old friends and exposes Raju King for what he really is.
The dancing and singing sequences are all worthy of the Bollywood style with gorgeous and glamorous costumes and colourful dancing whilst being interspersed with sequences more akin to the west end musical genre. As a hybrid type show this really works and the fusion of the two cultures does not clash or seem disjointed. In essence it really works and should appeal to all types of audience.
In addition the show had a serious side by shedding a light on the failings of the Bollywood industry, ie sexism, misogyny and nepotism. In particular the research amongst British South Asian people working in the industry backed up these findings.
I am sure that we will see more of this type of show coming from Rifco in the future as they will carry on appealing to the British South Asian audience as well as well as appealing to an increasing audience drawn from the general theatre going population. I hope Rifco will go from strength to strength with this type of hybrid productions.
I really enjoyed this show and strongly recommend it. I hope that all the general theatre going population will not be put off seeing this production by thinking that it will only appeal to the British South Asian population as I think it will appeal to all.