As my alarm went off at 4am this morning, I thought, why did I wake up this morning with “Chaiyya Chaiyya” stuck in my head? I’m not sure. I’ve been having a bit of writers block this week and also I’ve been on a strict Maury Yeston binge for the last week, so maybe my brain was looking something different. And different did it find.

I remember buying this CD when I was 14 years old, and I remember being extremely stoked for it’s inception ever since it was annouced. The London production ran for a respectable 2 years (is two years respectable? I suppose it is in 2020). The Broadway production stuggled to find it’s audience (literally) and only ran for 6-7 months. When the US Tour launched and made it’s way to my then home Seattle, a few of my college friends and I bought tickets as soon as we could and went out one night on an unforgettable evening.

In retrospect, Bombay Dreams was a little ahead of it’s time, maybe even being released a little too early to achieve maximum viewage. It was (as far as I know) AR Rahman’s first attempt at a West End musical, and featured an exclusive Indian cast. In the early 2000s, the only access that us white kids had to Bollywood was the random showings of Bollywood Films at a local theater. We had no Indian radio stations, no Spotify, Itunes, etc. It was definitely a genre that pushed (greatfully) the American audience into another world all together.

It’s score is clean, highly produced, electronic in the right places, acoustic in the right places, and captivating. Some songs, however, outshine other songs. All in all, it’s hard for me to stop listening to once I hear the opening Market sequence. Even through Shakalaka Baby, maybe one of the best/worst showtune of all time, I’m left wanting more.

Shakalaka baby shakalaka baby this is how it’s really meant to be |
Shakalaka baby shakalaka baby come and shakalaka with me | […]
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

What?

The lyrics are bizarre in some moments of the show, and occasionally make me tilt my head and squint my eyes in confusion (sorry Don Black). It’s definitely a show where the focus on the story is somewhat overshadowed by the audio/visual presentation, and while some stuck up theater critics are not fans of this, I think there is a time and place for this. AR Rahman’s 2nd West End attempt, Lord of the Rings, is a famous example of this “problem” that some shows have. But I dare anyone to come to at me and convice me that LOTR is nothing but a fantastic mind blowing musical that deserves an entire chapter in the History of Musical Theater. (Yes, I know it was a flop, but I’m not an investor or businessman, so I’ll continue my enthusiasm.)

I don’t know exactly what the show is about, having not seen it for 15 years, maybe it’s about an actor/actress making it big in Bollywood? Sounds about right. But the music transports me right back to the stage with the bright pink/red visuals, elaborate dance sequences, and undeniably soaring melodies.

The Act 1 finale that is a lukewarm reprise of a lukewarm melody with a lukewarm title “Love’s Never Easy.” Love not being easy is too obvious for me to take seriously, but don’t worry, Act 2 starts soon with the bollywood club banger “Chayya Chayya,” undeniably my favorite track in this show. 5 minutes of electric guitar and percussion driven indian dance music with a catchy chorus and with each verse a new and exciting melody. Rahman and ALW (who produced) didn’t even bother asking Don Black to translate this song, as there is no need to. The song speaks for it’s self. It says: this is party and you are going to enjoy the next 5 minutes of your life whether you understand the plot or not and also you might want to dance in a way you didn’t know you could.

Overall, the higher quality musical moments are saved for Act 2, and the Westernized pop versions are somewhat left behind in Act 1. In act 2 we see at least 4 numbers where lyricist Don Black takes the bench and AR Rahman (or his lyricist) takes center stage. The audience leaves the show both forgetting about Shakalaka Baby, but also with Shakalaka Baby stuck in their head for the rest of their lives. It’s a complicated feeling. One of ambivilance, excitement, and confusion. The show ends with a beautiful Indian Wedding (“Wedding Qawwali”).

My only complaints are as follows: Wedding Qawwali should’ve closed the show, as the following two “outro” numbers leave the OCR listener with a slightly anticlimactic ending. Also, Andrew Lloyd Webber, god bless him, plastered his name (as producter) all over this show and all of its adverts, and it’s very clear that he was not the driving creative force behind this gem. Yes, he’s famous and has money to invest, I get that, but except for hiring his friend Don Black for translations, I’m not sure he did anything at all creatively for this show. And it’s pretty akward to pretend ALW is in cohorts with the bollywood community. AR Rahman deserves all the credit for the music.

I’ll leave you with the original version of Chaiyya Chaiyya from the 1998 film “Dil Se.” Good luck not dancing.