With one of the top choreographers in Bollywood at the helm, there must be something special in the production set to take the Peacock Theatre by storm in May 2010. After enjoying a successful international tour that won admirers all around the world, the Australian musical will have a temporary home at the venue until June.
The show is entitled “The Merchants of Bollywood” and details the history of the largest film industry in the world – Bollywood. It will feature theatrics at their most spectacular, with energetic performances emanating from the enthusiastic cast. One thing is for certain, you will not want to miss “The Merchants of Bollywood” when it lands for its short run in 2010.
When we think of film we usually cast our minds to Hollywood and picture all of the well known movie stars that grace the red carpet in Tinsel Town. However, to get a glimpse of the biggest and most successful film industry we must head east, for Bollywood has been wowing audiences with spectacular movies, featuring music and dance, for many generations.
As a result, “The Merchants of Bollywood” will celebrate this, looking at the back catalogue of stars that have defined the art, utilising 40 performers dancing to high-octane music with moves choreographed by the world leading talent of Vaibhabhi Merchant.
Merchant is the granddaughter of the well known Bollywood choreographer Shri B. Hiralal and is now the leading figure of the form in her own right. She started out by appearing in films such as “Snehapoorvam Anna”, but soon found her stride working out the moves that other stars would take to the screen, beginning with the song “Dhol Baaje” for “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”. Since then, she has taken on the role of choreographer in over 100 films and won many awards and nominations along the way. Amongst them is the IIFA Best Choreography Award, the Star Screen Best Choreography Award and a National Film Award. She even carried out the choreography on “Lagaan”, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2001.
“The Merchants of Bollywood” has its roots in Australia, with Toby Gough writing and directing the production and has since been compared to many well known productions such as “Billy Elliot”. It was first seen in the UK in a tour during 2006, followed by a European trail in 2007. Now it returns to wow audiences once more.
“The Merchants of Bollywood” is at the Peacock Theatre from Tuesday 18th May 2010 to Saturday 5th June 2010.