Review: Frankie Goes to Bollywood, Southbank Centre

Frankie (Laila Zaidi) and her cousin Goldy (Katie Stasi) have rather humdrum lives in Milton Keynes, with dreams of a different life fuelled, in Frankie’s case, by Bollywood films. A chance encounter leads to an audition for Goldy, but Frankie gets the offer and re-locates to India as the newest Bollywood starlet. She enjoys success but at a cost, as she alienates friends and experiences first-hand the negative aspects of the treatment of women in the industry. Of course, everything turns out fine in the end, with a reconciliation and the ‘baddy’ getting their comeuppance. So, a happy ending as you’d expect and there are plenty of other Bollywood motifs present.  

Andy Kumar’s costume designs are appropriately colourful and striking, especially effective at illustrating Frankie’s transition from dowdy to glamorous. One section where costumes are used as background scenery really stands out. 

Niraj Chag and Tasha Taylor Johnson’s songs are fun and pleasing. They do start out a bit too ‘Disney cartoonish’ for my liking, but get better as the evening progresses.  The women seem to have stronger voices, Stasi in particular, and Helen K Wint as deposed Bollywood queen Malika has the most memorable songs such as when she’s advising Frankie to be ‘more.  B. I. T. C. H.‘  The sound levels could do with some adjustment though, with too many occasions where accompanying musicians are so loud they drown out the singing.

Obviously, a cast of hundreds is out of the question, nevertheless the dance numbers do a decent job of mimicking big budget set pieces, helped in no small way by Phillip Gladwell’s lighting design which really transforms the stage.

There are a lot of laughs throughout. Gigi Zahir as the Jack-of-all-trades-fixer character, Shona getting the best one-liners. Shona and Bollywood veteran Raju King (Geet Sagar) are both played well as slightly ridiculous caricatures, but still kind of believable. It can be hard to get the balance right, but they both manage it. Watch out for the wind tunnel/fans and the slow motion scenes – great humour to be had.  

All of the performances are excellent from the principal cast to the ensemble.  There are a few little niggles though. The sound levels as previously mentioned, and some technical issues concerning the lights and machinery. There’s also something odd about the set that I could not put my finger on. It was as though it did not quite fit properly into the space. All of these though can be easily tweaked.

Frankie Goes to Bollywood reflects the structure and spectacle of the multi-million dollar Bollywood film industry whilst making fun of its more ridiculous aspects. It illustrates the way women are often treated and the ongoing effects of the films upon attitudes in general. Having domestic violence and abuse in the middle of a fun, sparkly musical may seem a bit odd, but it works well. By highlighting the more sinister side it brings it into relief, making it more memorable. Frankie Goes to Bollywood is most definitely fun and sparkly, well performed and enjoyable.

Frankie Goes to Bollywood plays at the Southbank Centre until Sunday 18 August.

Further information and booking are available here.