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Bombay Dreams: The Critics' VerdictDateline: 23rd June, 2002 Bold but missing the targetis Nicholas de Jongh's verdict in the "Evening Standard". The music, he says, "falls blandly between two worlds. Far too often it sounds more western than Indian. The mix is dull." The book is "ingenious, inventive and radical." The plot, he feels, although complex, "lacks cliff-hanging excitement and finally turns preposterous." "A musical step in the right direction" is his final verdict, but it doesn't go far enough. Richard Morrison in "The Times" is no more encouraging. "Heaven knows," he writes, "the musical theatre badly needs fresh ideas, and Lord Lloyd-Webber’s £4.5 million baby is nothing if not brave and different." "The lamest ending in West End history," he calls it. "Trite lyrics. Cardboard characters. Dialogue that would test the patience of Mother Teresa." And his final comment is damning: "to turn this mishmash into a hot ticket is going to take more than a spoonful of curry powder." Rhoda Koenig's "Independent" review is even more damning: "Bombay Dreams may have the right ingredients, but the whole samosa is less than the sum of its parts. It suffers from an uncertain tone, an identity crisis that isn't much of a drama. The show leaves one unmoved despite all the colour and movement – and there isn't even enough of that." The music is "routine 'oriental' stuff, the sort of thing one would hear in an old movie behind a snake charmer or a treacherous veiled lady," whilst the book settles for "unconvincing sentimentality". The dances are repetitious, "never enlarging character or furthering plot." Her final paragraph delivers the coup de grace: "It's a shame that this potentially thrilling subject is crippled by formula and mediocrity, but, then again, its time is out of joint. When 'India'' does not mean songs and sequins, but terror and panic, one needs more than this shoddy glamour to forget reality." In the "Guardian" Michael Billington is more encouraging, although he dismisses the book as clumsy and over-plotted. However, "it offers constant optical pleasures. Steven Pimlott's production wittily acknowledges the baroque cinematic environment of the Apollo Victoria, and Mark Thompson's designs are a delight." The tabloid writers are the most positive. The "Daily Express" says "great fun, great costumes, and a refreshing change from every other West End show." The "Daily Mail" says the script is "badly handled" but "once you enter the spirit, the show is a delight," whilst the "Mirror" writer, after hating the first half, decided that "there can be no doubt that the wonder of the East has worked its magic in the West End." Articles Indices: |
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