BOMB...bay dreams. The reviews are in...

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 11:29pm

Anybody read those reviews? Ouch.

"This musical makes the Broadway season's other towering misfires, "Taboo" and "The Boy From Oz," seem like worthy candidates for literary analysis by Renaissance scholars."

and

"How do you say "mind-numbing bunk" in Hindi"

and

"Putting the bomb in Bombay -- Bombay Dreams is a Broadway nightmare.
There's no other way to describe the misbegotten monstrosity, which opened in New York last night."

[krisjoseph]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 12:32am

I'm kinda depressed. I had really hoped Bombay Dreams would charm New York. On the positive side, a common thread I see in the reviews is that the show is certainly watchable -- just not mindblowing. I think the box office will be the judge on this one, in any case.

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 1:19am

Perhaps if they gave all of the chorus members little elephant puppets that they could wear on one hand and sing through it. It would be cute with all of those little beaded trunks. People could throw peanuts, it would be a nice gimmick. You gotta get one.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 1:29am

Bobay got a dream of a review in Entertainment Weekly.

[mominator]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 10:21am

Yeah, but EW likes almost everything. There were only 2 ways this show could go Hugh Hit or Bollywood Bomb. Sadly it looks lie the latter

[VocalLizzy]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 10:30am

"Hugh Hit?"

Now THERE is a Freudian typo...

LOL

Lizzy

[Menken Fan]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 10:30am

I saw the final preview on Thursday and have to agree with the majority of reviews. Boring, predictable, ridiculous plot. But it is kind of fun to watch, especially two over-the-top production numbers. I don't have hopes of this one lasting too long.

[mominator]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 10:49am

OOPS!! Good catch VocalLizzy! I really should double check my spelling before I post. ( tee hee!!) Or may be have some more coffee.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 10:54am

I agree with Kris. It's certainly watchable. It's just so...silly... that's the best word I can come up with...silly. I'd never recommend it, but I didn't feel robbed by having been there on discount tickets.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 12:03pm

It also doesn't help to open up right after all the critics saw the first true-art musical thats been on Broadway for a while. That being "Assassins" of course. The critics got a taste of real thought provoking material and then saw Bombay Dreams. By comparison, Bombay Dreams just isn't lucky.

[mominator]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 12:19pm

iflitifloat I agree. The TKTS booth will be selling quite a few tickets for this one. But may be @ $50 folks will fill the theater

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 12:27pm

Bombay Dreams is bad...but it wasn't painful. I didn't hate being there. If someone were to give me a free ticket and I had nothing planned, I'd probably even sit through it again. But's just inexplicable, to me, that major hopes have been pinned on this being a huge success. *That's* perplexing.

And as far as Assassins being part of Bombay's problems...I don't think so. The two shows are apples and oranges. Bombay Dreams doesn't need to be compared to anything else in order to look mediocre. It accomplishes that all by itself.

[mominator]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 12:29pm

Could this show be one of those that will fill up on bus tours from Iowa?

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 12:34pm

Well...

It has the name Andrew Lloyd Webber associated with it, and that's a theater name with household recognition even in Iowa. It's big, splashy, and colorful. It just might have tour bus appeal, at that.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 12:48pm

Hey, that **** sandwich AIDA got as bad, if not worse, reviews than BOMBAY DREAMS and it's still running. Now the producers need to get their butts in gear and market, market, market...it might work. Haven't seen BOMBAY DREAMS so I personally can't account for it's merits.

[mominator]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 1:00pm

Aida has been doing well because the get NAMES in some of the roles. Saw it last year on a lark, and got to see the understudys understudys stand-by. The only crtice I had of her was she was so joyous in being on stage. I mean she was beaming!
But to get back on the subject,Bombay may not have a chance if folks don't see a name on the marquis in a starring role.

[newyorkuniq]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 1:17pm

I hate Aida!!!! It was the first Broadway show I ever saw and I was like your kidding me-,I waited my whole life to sit through this crap!!

[mominator]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 1:32pm

Yeah, it was somewhat on the trite side, and if had been my first B-way experiance I'd be disappointed too. But Twofers and TKTS booth are a good thing as well as rush seating.
Barbara

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 2:27pm

Let me put it this way...Bombay Dreams is no Aida. *That* should put it into perspective for you, BBoy...

[Elphie]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 3:54pm

A lot of reviews called Bombay Dreams predictable.
How many musicals are predictable? Like 500! And the story models a traditional Bollywood musical movie.
I agree that the story is not too complex, but its a very entertaining show. I thought the music was beautiful, the dancing exquisite, and the performers were among the most energetic cast I have ever seen. Its really sad to see that not too many people enjoyed the show as much as I.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 3:58pm

To be fair, I had a better time than my daughter...she had a "WTF?" look on her face most of the evening. I thought the choreography for most of the songs was very similar; one looked the same as the next... BUT, I found it fun to watch anyway. My problem was more with the dialogue. Good lord.

[mominator]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 4:39pm

Actually watching ANY Bollywood movie I have a "WTF" look on as well!

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 5/2/04 at 1:43am

Aida keeps the tourists coming...I don't know how...but it's working. I just don't think that the whole elephant bead fountain land far away thing is going to be popular with enough people to keep it up.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 5/2/04 at 9:45am

Well...it got pretty negative reviews in London and was a hit there.
I'm wondering if being familiar with Bollywood films has any relation to how much you enjoy the show. My ex used to have a huge bollywood collection and I think I enjoyed the show more than I would have if I had never seen a bollywood movie.
I did find myself wanting the show to move on whenever the cast stopped singing and dancing and started to speak and I thought the end was pretty ridiculous. But I suppose that falls in line with the typical bollywood movie. And I thought the fountain was worth the price of admission alone. What can I say, I'm a sucker for attractive indian men dancing in wet, white shirts.

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 5/2/04 at 11:04am

Someone remarked top me outside of the theatre that they should have just gone home and watched the end of Moulin Rouge instead.