Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical Review
Kinshuk Sen (Centre) & The Company of Come Fall In Love - The DDLJ Musical. Photo by Johan Persson
Written by Thomas for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.
Blending Bollywood and Broadway, the UK Premiere of Come Fall In Love is a multicultural musical masterpiece!
Based on the Bollywood Box Office hit, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (The Brave-Hearted Will Take The Bride), the story utilises the well-trodden rom-com road of the enemies to lovers trope, following protagonists, Simran and Rog, played by Jena Pandya and Ashley Day.
Quintessential good girl Simran, on a scholarship at Oxford, top of her class and graduating with a first class degree embarks on a month long European trip with friends before pleasing her father - and culture – by returning to India to marry her betrothed. Pompous party boy Rog finds himself on the same trip, antagonising and arguing with before eventually anguishing over Simran’s unavailability due to her arranged marriage. Divided by their classes and cultures, their world’s collide in India, posing the question, how far is too far to go for love?
The first act takes place in Oxford, Paris, Rome and Switzerland feeling a little clunky in places, with certain scenes shoehorned in to set the story for later in the show. Act two however, takes place in India, is less shoehorned script and more substance and spectacle, including the incredible set pieces, colourful costumes and memorable moments.
The show has an award winning and well-versed creative team. Aditya Chopra, original film director is back to direct the stage adaptation, Mean Girls lyricist and Legally Blonde co-writer Nell Benjamin provides the Book and Lyrics with Vishal Dadlani and Sheykhar Ravjiani’s crowd-pleasing Compositions. Rob Ashford creates captivating Choreography with assistance from co-choreographer Shruti Merchant providing the Indian dancing.
David Grindrod CDG as Casting Director delivered ludicrously talented leads and perfect pairings. Pandya and Day navigate the book well with their performances, delivering riotous and raunchy in their duet ‘Better Get Right’ to sweet vulnerability during ‘No Way To Say Goodbye’. Rog’s sexy, sophisticated and slinky mother Minky played by Kara Lane and Simran’s husband-to-be Kuljit, portrayed by Kinshuk Sen, deliver a hilarious highlight of ‘Hot And Independent And Hot’ with Sen showing his vocal versatility and confident comedy. Irvine Iqbal and Harveen Mann-Neary as Simran’s parents are the epitome of first generation parents delivering harsh and heart within the song ‘Twice As Good’.
The score throughout the show is superb, Dadlani and Ravjaini’s compositions echo the locations of the set well, evolving from up-tempo pop rock when in Oxford to traditional Indian music throughout act two. Complimenting the score is the gorgeous choreography created by Ashford and Merchant, performed with ease by the leads and vivaciously by the ensemble, all of which had the audience clapping, cheering and celebrating.
The book lacks depth and is full of cliches, albeit some almost endearing, and the storyline predictable with certain scenes and script sections being excruciatingly explicit with the potential to be more nuanced using clever tactics of theatre. However, there is no doubt the audience feel safe in the familiarity of knowing that the characters will get their happy ending and the journey across the world was worth it for love.
Come Fall In Love comments on important topics such as prejudice, unconscious bias and societal expectations, however, attending the show, the vast array of diversity in the audience highlights how much great theatre brings people together. Speaking personally, I felt humbled and honoured to witness such an authentically arranged, cleverly curated and divinely displayed show – a real feast for the senses!
One of the easiest five stars I’ve ever given!
Come Fall in Love - The DDLJ Musical plays at the Manchester Opera House until 21 June.
★★★★★
