Frankie Goes to Bollywood
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Bollywood, the billion pound Indian film industry, is synonymous with high-energy, perfectly choreographed, song-and-dance numbers, elaborate costuming, and melodramatic storylines that convey a deeper moral lesson to the audience. Rifco Theatre Company have now taken these key Bollywood elements and combined them with the experiences of British women within the Bollywood film industry bubble to produce a brand new musical entitled Frankie Goes to Bollywood.
The story centres on Frankie (Laila Zaidi), a reluctant Bollywood star. After a chance encounter with Bollywood director Prem (Navin Kundra), Frankie finds herself thrown into the relentless Indian film machine. As her celebrity status increases, the darker side of the industry risks destroying not only Frankie’s familial relationships, but also who she is as a person.
This production is absolutely brilliant. Creative Director Pravesh Kumar MBE, and composers Niraj Chag and Tasha Taylor Johnson fuse tradition with modernity in a cohesive show.
The musical numbers cover a variety of genres, with every single piece providing narrative advancements rather than being a musical number for the sake of it. The blend of emotive ballads and vibrant Bollywood numbers created a well rounded musical. Our favourite numbers were ‘I’m on the up’ and ‘Be more B-I-T-C-H’. Both of these songs provided character insights that were neatly packaged into catchy songs which we were still humming on the train ride home.
One element of Frankie Goes to Bollywood that we really enjoyed was the mix of languages. Both Hindi, Punjabi and English feature within the show, perhaps most noticeably in the music. This truly is a fusion of sounds that creates a unique soundtrack. We may not have understood all of the words spoken or sang in Hindi / Punjabi, but the action on stage conveyed the meaning, and the combination of musical styles was beautiful.
A large part of the show’s success stems from the impressive set and costume design. This is a visually stunning show that effortlessly captures the grandeur and vibrancy of Bollywood.
The sets by Rebecca Brower are multi-functional and transition seamlessly from a drab, colourless Milton Keynes to a sparkly, opulent, Mumbai Bollywood set. Traditional Indian architectural elements and motifs gave a great depth to the staging and made the space feel much bigger. The architectural elements were also used to conceal the musicians who are on-stage for this production but are rarely seen.
Alongside the sets, costume designer Andy Kumar has created some of the best costuming we have ever seen in a musical. A mix of sarees, lehengas and kurta pyjamas provide a visual feast of traditional Indian attire. The use of bold colours, traditional fabrics, and the most intricate embroidery, beadwork, and sequin elements imaginable all added a level of richness to the costumes and seemed to be the perfect counterpart to the contemporary clothing pieces. The costuming truly helped bring these characters to life.
During one musical number, sarees featuring scenes of India, such as the mountains of the Himalayas, were unfolded to create a fabric set backdrop for the song. The design on each saree was breathtaking, and the fluidity of the fabric during the song became almost hypnotic. There is something truly magical about the set and costuming within this production.
A special mention should also be given to the lighting designer Philip Gladwell who manages to pick up every sequin in the costumes with the lighting choices. The lighting also plays a key role in the differentiation of the Bollywood sets, with the architectural elements lit up in a variety of different colours. Gladwell even manages to convey the heat of Mumbai with the creative lighting selections, which all added to the multisensory experience of the show.
The Frankie Goes to Bollywood cast were all exceptional, and there is no denying that this is an extremely talented cast.
Laila Zaidi as Frankie was every bit the leading lady, perfectly depicting her character’s journey from cinema worker to Bollywood superstar. Zaidi’s strongest performances came when Frankie was at her most vulnerable, particularly when the character was performing at a wedding and started to be harassed.
The role of Goldy, Frankie’s cousin and ‘brown sister’, was the comedic relief in many scenes whilst also arguably being the most vulnerable character within the show. Katie Stasi brought warmth, intensity and sincerity to the role, as well as truly outstanding vocals. Her ballad was one of the performances of the night for us.
Award-winning singer songwriter Navin Kundra as Prem was great, but we felt like the character was slightly lost within the show. We’re not sure if this is due to the larger than life characters of antagonist Raju King (perfectly emobodied by Shakil Hussain) and celebrity choreographer Shona (played by Gigi Zahir who brought more than a little sass to the role). Against two big characters, Prem felt a little under developed rather than the counterpart to the established Bollywood superstars.
The true stars of this show though are the ensemble. They delivery energetic dance routines, packed full of traditional Bollywood moves, and also have a huge number of quick costume changes. They carried the pace of the show, keeping the high energy throughout. The stamina and dance skill displayed within the complex choreography was incredibly impressive.
The ensemble also had a way of making themselves larger than life. Bollywood films are renowned for big musical numbers, often featuring a cast of hundreds. Somehow, the cast of Frankie Goes to Bollywood used the staging and blocking to create an illusion that the ensemble was far bigger than it actually was. This truly brought Bollywood life on the stage.
Frankie Goes to Bollywood is an uplifting and entertaining musical spectacular. The allure and challenges faced in Bollywood for both men and women aren’t glossed over, and the overall message of being true to yourself is delivered against a dazzling Bollywood backdrop.
We thoroughly enjoyed this show. You don’t need to be overly familiar with the world of Bollywood to enjoy this show, but we guarantee you will leave wanting to know more.
Frankie Goes to Bollywood is touring throughout 2024. Full details of the tour are available on Rifco Theatre Company’s website.
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