The City of Dreams musical

Last Sunday, I felt like I’d died and gone to Broadway. I had a sneak peek at City of Dreams, a fun musical co-produced by Ashvin Gidwani Productions and Cineyug. Here’s my postcard from the theatrical fringe:

An eager Bollywood hopeful from Lucknow. Her hard-as-nails-on-the-outside-yet soft-as cotton-candy-on-the-inside best friend. A know-it-all fixer. The been-there-done-that mixer. A lecherous producer. A dashing superstar. Just bring together all the cliched characters from filmdom, shake off some of the stardust and set them on a stage. Throw in a dash of various hot topics: dance contests, stardom, the casting couch, the media’s role in making and breaking celebs, etc. Stir in OTT dialogues, kitschy costumes and popular songs. Now wait for the applause.

Luckily, the creators won’t have to hold their breath for the appreciation too long. Although the ingredients of this musical extravaganza are rather ghisa-pita, the glitz, glamour and excellent production values, make me deem this a must-watch. If not for the light-up umbrellas, tasteful costumes, innovative dances and peppy music, catch it just to track the 13 elaborate sets and 40 dancers with numerous costume changes!

Now, if I had to critique this uber-spectacle, I’d say I wasn’t too happy with the way the documentary-style clips — featuring everyone from SRK to K-Jo to Hrithik and Priyanka Chopra to Rakhi Sawant — make an appearance on a retractable screen throughout the story. Or that the lead pair — TV actor Gaurav Chopra and debutante Lucky Morani — aren’t exactly Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, although the supporting cast’s fab. But I’m not quibbling — the twists and turns (of the tale as well as the dance steps) unspooled my tension-laden self. A super way to beat the rigours of the week.

Be kind, unwind.

City of Dreams. Stars Shipra Singh, Anand Tiwari , Mandar Chandwarkar, Kashmira Shah, Gaurav Chopra and introducing Lucky Morani; On Friday, June 27 (7.45pm) and Sunday, June 29 (7 pm) at Jamshedji Bhabha Auditorium, NCPA, Mumbai; Tel: 22824567, 66548135, 66223724, 66223754; Tickets are priced at Rs 5,000, Rs 3,000, Rs 750 and Rs 500.