British musical, Frankie Goes to Bollywood, has come to London for a nearly three-week stretch at the Southbank Centre. If you’re looking for an all-singing, all-dancing show with significant feel-good factor this might be just the thing for you.
Here’s a low down about Frankie. She never wanted to be a star, but after a chance encounter with an Indian director, she finds herself whisked away from her humdrum home of Milton Keynes to the glitz and glamour of Bollywood. Frankie ascends to the highest echelons of south Asian cinema as a success actor, and she does so with relative ease. Still, there is a price to pay and Frankie realises there’s more to life than fortune and fame and that success is best when it’s shared with friends.
As the audience comes along on Frankie’s journey of self discovery, impressive choreography featuring phenomenal dance moves delight, colour-rich costumes and vivid stage lighting dazzle, and over-the-top quirky characters entertain. Music keeps toe-tapping pace with the whirlwind of Frankie’s ascent to stardom. In the lead role, Laila Zaidi, carries sees the story through with apparent ease and infectious energy.
To be sure, there’s an especially happy – and zippy – ending with the right people doing the right thing for the right reasons.
I was invited to attend with a guest the press night performance of this fun show. To be honest, the main reason I accepted was because I thought my partner would enjoy it. And she did. At the end, when I asked what she thought about it, she said “vibrant.” I can go along with that summation. We laughed, smiled, forgot about some of the world’s troubles for a while, and had a nice evening out together.
Frankie Goes to Bollywood provided the right amount of light and happy entertainment for a night on the town.
Concept and book by Pravesh Kumar. Songs and music by Nipaj Chad. Songs and Lyrics by Tasha Taylor Johnson.
A Rifco Theatre Company, Watford Palace Theatre and HOME Manchester co-production, Frankie Goes to Bollywood runs through 18 August at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX. Standard entry starts at £15 (plus booking fee, with concession pricing available).
Find out more at rifcotheatre.com/live-shows/frankie-goes-to-bollywood and southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/performance-dance/frankie-goes-bollywood.
