Salaam "Bombay Dreams"

Description

In June 2002, London's West End was taken by storm when Andrew Lloyd Webber presented a new musical phenomenon - AR Rahman's Bombay Dreams. This lavish and breathtaking production which combines the glamour of the movies, heart-aching romance and epic spectacle, won the acclaim of audiences and critics alike. It was labelled as London's "hottest most exotic new musical", "one of the wonders of the West End" and "the best musical since The Phantom of the Opera".

Salaam Bombay Dreams is an exclusive and exciting look behind the scenes of the musical and includes footage and interviews with the team behind this spectacular epic. From Madras and Mumbai, to London, you can follow the producer, the creative team and the cast as they bring together this lavish production. Glimpse into the world of phenomenal Indian composer AR Rahman, of magnificent sets, glittering costumes, inspirational choreography, superb script writing and brilliant lyrics.

From rehearsal to opening night and a Gala Performance with a visit by Her Majesty the Queen, Salaam Bombay Dreams also features the sights and sounds of the show providing a fascinating journey through this Bollywood musical hit.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent for DVD extra - this is not the show.......2007-07-13

This is an excellent DVD if you accept what it is: the DVD extras without the show. There are several of the musical numbers, but it is about the genesis of the show, it is not the show itself. I missed the actual show when it came through and, having watched this, I am very disappointed. I am equally disappointed that it seems to be playing nowhere in the world, and that the book (mentioned in the interviews) does not seem to be available either. I ordered the CD Bombay Dreams (2002 Original London Cast) as a result of this and look forward to watching more Bollywood releases.

cheated.......2007-01-31

I wanted the soundtrack for the play and while i found that it showed this DVD with it so I bought it thinking it was a DVD of the play, when I got it today found out that the DVD was a behind the scenes and making of only not the play. Feel this was kind of misleading. The DVD itself is ok but not at all what I was looking for.

HELLOOOOO, people....it's NOT THE SHOW...........2006-12-30

....its a documentary. So to slam it because it didn't show all the show numbers is a little unfair. Granted, I really lust after getting my hands on a DVD of the full production, but until that happens, and for what this DVD is, it does the show great justice.

Then there are the few reviewers who seem to hate the show itself; well, it's their loss and I couldn't disagree more. This is a musical fashioned in the Bollywood style which is indeed quite different than what the stock and trade American Musical looks and feels like. One really need to be a bit more sophistocated to see beyond the what is normally expected and to understand the different style and then to go with it. Of course if you are expecting A Chorus Line and mentally demanding not to be challenge, then of course you are not going to "get" "Bombay Dreams," but that's not a weakness in the production, but perhaps the result of a closed mind.

This wasn't a tourist trap show as one comment refered to it. The reason it had a short run (only relatively speaking -- it could have run MUCH longer if it were in a smaller house) was because it followed a musical genre which many theatre-goers were not familiar with, ESPECIALLY tourists. For all those out-of-towners who go to the real tourists traps and sit there with open mouths -- "42nd Street," "Babes in Arms," "Cats," et al, "Bombay Dreams" was just too off-center for those who have limited meat & potatoes tastes.

Talking with both the stage manager and house manager at the very last performance the day it closed, I asked why in the world was this marvelous show closing? The answer was that because of the huge cast and unusually large technical crew as well as the theatre they were in, they needed 95% capacity every night to make the house nut, including salaries. That is an unusually high number for even the hottest tourist traps. That, plus given the fact that is was perceived as having a "foreign" theme and flavor, not enough of the public was willing to give it a chance. Such a shame...and their loss!

Those who were daring enough to stray outside the lines found a vibrant, energy-packed musical that, in my opinion, rivals anything the American Musical Theatre has produced in decades. The cast generated more excitment and more energy on that stage than I have seen in even the highly raved top sellers of many seasons.

One of the previous comments refered to this as "excess." Well, if choreography that is so exciting it gives the illusion that the dancers are levitating off the stage floor and if the incredible dancing precision between 40 dancers gives the illusion that these people one organism rather than individuals, and if the melodic content of the music is so magnetic that you can't get the songs out of your mind for days after you leave the theatre, then yes, I guess this is excess, but in this case it happens to be a GOOD thing.

With all due respect to the reviewer to ragged on this show -- hey it did fine in London; I guess it needs to play where it can get an audience with bit broader, more open minded taste than what it found in New York, or at least theatre-goers who are less jaded.

And again, as for this DVD -- for what is is, i.e., a "making of..." documentary, it does very well indeed, giving great insight into how the show was put together. You do get to see quite a bit of the dances and music along with the nuts and bolts of what goes into mounting such an monumental production. I think it does as well or even better than many other "making of's" that I've seen -- hence, 3 out of 5.

Salaam "Bombay Dreams".......2006-11-05

I was extremely disappointed when I received this DVD and realized that it was about the making of "Bombay Dreams" and was not the musical itself. I had seen "Bombay Dreams" on Broadway, enjoyed it very much, and could not understand why it had such a short run. But a DVD about the making of the musical was not something I would have watched more than once, out of curiosity, which is why I returned the it without opening the case.

The Dream Is Alive.......2006-09-01

Although it could be shorter and the DVD lacks the energy that live theatre offers, there are some little moments when they show the rehearsals in India that were just fantastic and it shows how it all began.

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