Show: Britain’s Got Bhangra
Society: Orchard Theatre, The (professional productions)
Venue: No venue information available
Credits: Rifco Arts production in co-production with Watford Palace Theatre and Warwick Arts Centre
Type: Sardines
Performance Date: 27/09/2011
Britain’s Got Bhangra – the musical
Paul Johnson | 04 Oct 2011 01:35am
WOW!! – if you like colour, lightening-fast movement, great dancing and singing… then this is the show for you!! A five-star hit musical charting the rise of British bhangra music from the sequin-clad 80s through to the R&B fusion of the current charts. Twinkle arrives fresh from the fields of the Punjab with a song in his heart and no money in his pocket. Can his talent shine through or will the remixed bling of the 90s DJs ruin his dreams? This is the story of how Britain got Bhangra. I loved this show, especially as I thought I was just going to see some singing and dancing routines. I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that there was a story – even a plot, no less. Sad in parts, demonstrating how power and money can corrupt and how our young singer was exploited, and very funny in other parts. I particularly liked the high-speed invalid scooter ridden in an alarming fashion by one member of the cast who also kept us amused with her one-liners. The aforementioned plot: Having fallen in love Twinkle (Surrinder Singh Parwana) marries his sweetheart Jussi (Sohm Kapila) before departing for England – without Jussi – to make his fortune before they have the ‘eight’ children Jussi dreams of. We follow Twinkle’s progress through the trials and tribulations of the music world and his dealings with Shinde (Natasha Jayetileke) who runs a music company. Shinde was lovely to look at and, coupled with her excellent singing, made quite an impact. Blingh Singh (Keeza Farhan) supplied the comedy element with his constant ‘inits’ and ‘bling’. It is difficult to pick out individuals as everyone onstage was quite excellent. The whole atmosphere – set, costumes and sound – was vibrant and I could not sit still in my seat. Even leaving the theatre I was humming the finale song all the way back to my car. The ‘bus’ was superbly depicted in two parts with the passengers moving them along and around the stage whilst singing and acting. The young dancers in the interval and prior to the start of show were also lovely to watch. If I really had to pick on one small thing, which is a bug bear of mine, the microphone balance and mixing was a little out with the loss of some words due to distortion. But, as I said earlier a fabulous show and one I would happily go and see again tomorrow! A disappointingly small audience saw the performance I witnessed but as this was the first night, I hope word will spread that this is one not to be missed.
- : admin
- : 27/09/2011