Frankie Goes to Bollywood, Southbank Centre Review

Written by Cathie for Theatre and Tonic.

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.

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The story of a poor girl who rises to movie stardom, only to confront the darker side of fame, is a familiar one. However, Frankie Goes to Bollywood brings a fresh twist by setting this narrative within the vibrant world of Bollywood, marking its first portrayal on a London stage. This Bollywood-inspired musical, produced by Rifco Theatre Company, features songs by Niraj Chag and Tasha Taylor Johnson, with a book by Artistic Director Pravesh Kumar. The production is a collaboration between Rifco, Watford Palace Theatre, and HOME Manchester. This summer, it dazzles audiences at the Southbank Centre before embarking on a tour.

Frankie (Laila Zaidi) loses her mum as a child and watches all the old Bollywood films in an attempt to regain connection with her mother and her dreams. She lives and works with her cousin Goldie (Katie Stasi) in a cinema and listens to Goldie’s dreams of movie fame. A chance encounter with an upcoming director (Navin Kundra) at the Milton Keynes cinema bins means that Frankie goes to Bollywood instead. During this time we meet hilarious Shona (Gigi Zahir) a Bollywood version of Flash Harry who has his fingers in every pie and knows every piece of gossip going. We also meet Malika (Helen K Wint) who in a powerful performance shows the current Bollywood queen who is desperate to stay at the top no matter what. This is contrasted by excellently sleazy Raju King (Geet Sagar), an ageing predatory Bollywood star who latches onto anything he can to stay crowned as “shampoo king”. During her first movie, Frankie becomes the IT girl and faces many darker themes such as sexual harassment and being used as eye candy for the “family” of Bollywood elite.

This musical knows its cheesiness and revels in it to some extent, with lots of cheeky jokes and classic Bollywood references which had the audience roaring with laughter throughout. At times the plot can be confusing, such as the passage of time and while it makes many strong references to sexism, domestic violence, racism and toxic beauty culture, it sometimes misses the mark and doesn’t elaborate as well as it could or uses these as a comedic punch point rather than a theme. There is a strong theme throughout of the importance of finding your own tribe, building your community and being proud of being part of the “sisterhood of brown sugar, sweet and unrefined”. The message of being the change you want to see in the world and the importance of fighting for what you believe in was lovely and for the most part clearly demonstrated.

The set is small, only one-third of the staging space is used, so it feels like watching the show on an old TV and lends a sense of nostalgia to the show. However, the space that is used by set designer Rebecca Brower fairly dazzles with bright colours and Bollywood-style glamour. An impressive array of props is utilised on stage, swiftly brought in and out to enhance the dynamic storytelling. The staging space expands as the narrative moves further from England, effectively showcasing Frankie’s growing world. Philip Gladwell, the lighting designer, expertly employed warm and cool tones to evoke the contrasting atmospheres of England and India, resulting in a visually stunning spectacle. Though I anticipated remarkable costumes by Andy Kumar, I was impressed by how sumptuous and numerous they were. There were many references to classic Bollywood films in these looks and the use of wind machines was hilarious.

This is a production that has been ten years in the making and is an affectionate nod to Bollywood whilst pointing out its feet of clay. If you enjoy beautiful music, fabulous Bollywood Movies and stories of ambition and redemption then I thoroughly recommend this musical to you to add colour and glam to your London summer!

 At Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre in London until 18 Aug.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆