The story centers around Akaash, a young man from the slums of Bombay who dreams of becoming the next big star in Bollywood. Fate steps in when a rich lawyer and his fiancée, an aspiring documentary filmmaker, arrive to prevent the demolition of Akaash's slum. Akaash quickly falls in love with the lawyer's fiancée, Priya, who happens to be the daughter of a famous Bollywood director. Complications arise as Akaash faces the reality of show business, fame, his love for Priya, and his obligations to his family, friends, and his Paradise slum.
The story also deals with the change of name from Bombay to Mumbai and the identity issues that this raises.
The musical opened on BroadwayatThe Broadway Theatre on 29 April 2004 and closed on 1 January 2005 after 284 performances. The director was Steven Pimlott, with choreography by Farah Khan and Anthony Van Laast, and scenic and costume design by Mark Thompson. The cast featured Manu Narayan as Akaash and Madhur Jaffrey as Shanti. The plot, format and characters of Bombay Dreams were revised several times. The book of the musical was rewritten and many songs were cut and other songs added to the show for the Broadway run.[2]
A new production produced by Atlanta's Theater of the Stars and the Independent Presenters Association started touring North America in February 2006 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California.[3][4]
In the UK, the production grossed an estimated £5million at London's West End theatre by March 2004,[5] equivalent to $9.2 million.[6] As of June 2004, the show was watched by over 1.5million people in the United Kingdom.[7] In the United States, the production sold 552,954 tickets and grossed $22,437,579 at the Broadway Theatre by January 2005.[8] Combined, the production sold over 2.1million tickets in the United Kingdom and Broadway theatre, and grossed approximately $32 million at the West End and Broadway theatres.[citation needed]
The Original London Cast Album, composed by A. R. Rahman, received a Gold certification and sold 250,000 units in the United Kingdom. The album was also a top-selling record in India.[7]
