Stage: Warrior queens

Frankie Goes to Bollywood
director & book Pravesh Kumar
music Niraj Chag • lyrics Tasha Taylor Johnson
costumes Andy Kumar • sets Rebecca Brower
with Laila Zaidi, Helen K Wint, Navin Kundra, Katie Stasi, Gigi Zahir, Geet Sagar, Qoobi Robinson, Nikita Johal, Dhruv Ravi, Anna Maria Barber, Tamara Verhoven Clyde, Hari Chandresh, Kuldeep Goswami, Tash Bacarese-Hamilton, Catherine Puri, A'isha Verhulst
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London • 31.Jul-18.Aug.24 ★★★★

Making the very most of richly hued lighting and lavish costumes, this lively musical tells a terrific story about a bright young woman who gets caught up in movie stardom. This may sound familiar, but the plot is actually a celebration of integrity and inner strength, complete with an energetic cast, witty dialog and gorgeous design elements. And while it remains celebratory and bouncy, the show also takes on darker aspects of the Bollywood film industry, from the way productions have been run like mob families to the prejudicial treatment of women.

The story opens in England as young Milton Keynes cinema employee Frankie (Laila Zaidi) imagines her late mother as a star of the epic Indian musicals she can't stop watching over and over again. This makes her feel closer to her mum and her ethnic heritage, but she has no desire to perform herself. Her best pal Goldy (Katie Stasi), on the other hand, is yearning for a chance to sing and act. So it's a bit tense when Frankie inadvertently lands the Bollywood role Goldy was auditioning for. And now Franking heads off to Mumbai, meeting her implausibly young-looking costar, the veteran actor Raju (Geet Sagar). But filmmaker Prem (Kundra) finds his ambitious script watered down by the "family" that controls the industry. And Frankie has little choice as she's propelled into mega-stardom.

All of this is frequently punctuated with lavish musical numbers that are choreographed in fine Bollywood style, with some sparkly new flourishes. Then in the show's second half, more serious issues emerge as Frankie begins to push back against the restrictive contract she signed. The question is whether she can recapture her bond with Goldy. And will she end up tossed aside like Raju's previous superstar partner Malika (Wint)? This raises larger issues around men who hang on to power, refusing to allow women to make their own decisions. So Frankie's inner drive fuels a lively revolution.

The cavernous Queen Elizabeth Hall kind of swallows this show, especially when viewed from seats high up in the back, where nuanced performances (or the song lyrics) are difficult to catch. The staging is relatively simple, with a single versatile set standing in for various locations, augmented by lots of coloured lights and a steady stream of glorious costumes (tricks with vast expanses of fabric are stunning). The emphasis is on the talented ensemble of dancers, who shape the scenes beautifully and play a range of superb supporting roles, including swaggering social media star Timmy (Robinson) and Frankie's eager assistant Mandy (Johal), who really wants to write scripts centred around powerful females. 

Enjoyably, the story's romantic elements surge and twist in original directions, while the main plot heads elsewhere. Each scene is livened up by a sharp sense of humour, often thanks to fabulous scene-stealer Gigi Zahir as the film crew's wonderfully snappy choreographer Shona. So even if the underlying themes are seriously pointed, giving the show a kick of urgency, the show remains joyful. With its cleverly British perspective, this is an open-handed expression of love for Bollywood movies, what they've meant in the past and how much more they can be in a hopeful future.

For info, RIFCO THEATRE >

photos by Rich Lakos • 2.Aug.24