The Merchants of Bollywood

‘Any resemblance to Bollywood stars, living or dead, is purely intentional,’ a voice announces as the curtain rises on this all-lip-synching, all-dancing tribute to Bollywood past and present.

It epitomises both the production’s central appeal – the high-octane choreography of big-name Bollywood dance arranger Vaibahvi Merchant, drenched in sparkle and bling – and its major flaw.

Writer-director Tony Gough, bringing the show to London for the second time, has linked Merchant’s dance numbers with a story line loosely based upon Merchant’s own life. In it, a top Bollywood choreographer, Ayesha Merchant (Carol Furtado) travels home to Rajasthan to build bridges with the grandfather whose classical style lit up mid-century Indian cinema.

It’s a neat idea, but the conflict at the heart of the story – between the commercial Bollywood cinema of today and the purer traditions of classical dance from which it springs – is undermined by dance numbers that indiscriminately employ both styles. The result is an awkward narrative mish-mash that isn’t helped by a dreadful script.

The dance numbers are often impressive: Furtado is a charismatic lead, excelling particularly in the scenes of classical kathak dance. Sushant Pujari is all oiled, rippling muscles as her childhood sweetheart Uday; and the ensemble is a mass of energy and spangles.

True Bollywood devotees may not mind the confusing premise and hackneyed script: the films are about spectacle, not scintillating dialogue. But this is, overall, a disappointing show that really needs to up its game to seriously compete in the West End.

By Laura Barnett