BOMBAY DREAMS TO CLOSE 13 JUNE 2004

BOMBAY DREAMS TO CLOSE 13 JUNE 2004

It has been announced that Bombay Dreams , the musical produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, will close on 13 June 2004, after a run of 2 years at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, who visited the New York producers of "BOMBAY DREAMS" earlier this month said, "Having been in New York, and seen some of the rehearsals for the show, (which opens 29 April, previewing from 29 March) I think that the exciting developments that have been made in terms of the book, the score, and the set designs mean that this is the show I would like to see in the UK."

Therefore, the London production, which now closes at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on 13 June, will be remodelled on the New York lines in order to undertake a national tour, which will start early next year. The tour will culminate in a return to London's West End. Plans are also well advanced for the making of a major feature film of "BOMBAY DREAMS".

Bombay Dreams will have been seen by over one and a half million people since it opened in June 2002 and recouped its original investment of £4.5 million within 15 months. The cast recording, which is a massive top-selling record in India, has become a Gold Album in the UK, with sales approaching quarter million.

Bombay Dreams has music by A R Rahman, lyrics by Don Black, book by Meera Syal , based upon an original idea conceived by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Shekhar Kapur. It is directed by Steven Pimlott, designed by Mark Thompson, with choreography by Anthony van Laast (Bollywood dance sequences by Farah Khan).

The story of Bombay Dreams is one of universal themes - dreams and ambitions, the desire to accomplish and the importance of culture and roots. And at its heart it is a love story set against the backdrop of the colourful and magical Indian movie industry - 'Bollywood' - in Bombay, a city of stark contrasts where romantic fantasy and harsh reality live side by side. The musical follows the story of Priya, the daughter of a wealthy Bollywood film director who falls in love with poor man Akaash.

(SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER is expected at the Apollo Victoria in July 2004)