Hooray for Bollywood in ‘Bombay Dreams’

The motion picture industry of India ? known familiarly and somewhat derisively as Bollywood ? churns out more than 900 movies a year with revenues in the billions, making up for in quantity what it may lack in quality, derivative as it is of those American musicals of the 1940s with zippy songs and happy endings.

Bollywood meets Broadway in “Bombay Dreams,” the current production at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, which lampoons the style and flavor of the culture on the subcontinent while offering a tasty packaging of formulaic plot.

Backed by pulsating drumbeats and elaborate special effects (including a water fountain as the centerpiece for one number), “Bombay Dreams” offers some enthusiastic eye candy as an accompaniment to the story of an ambitious young “untouchable” pursuing his goal of show business stardom. Often the trappings overshadow the substance of the show, but not unintentionally.

Midwifed by British uber-composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, the production showcases the songs and style of A.R. Rahman, who is to Indian audiences what Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim are to the West, only more so, with more than 50 movies and 100 million soundtrack album sales to his credit. Rahman created “Bombay Dreams” at Webber’s invitation.

The touring show at the center, directed by Baayork Lee, blends the antique flavor of a ‘40s musical with the torrid choreography and musicality of today’s Western theater as it traces the meteoric rise of a slum kid, Akaash (Sachin Bhatt), to the pinnacle of his profession at the cost of his personal ethics and honor.

Bhatt brings the requisite youthful energy to his role, though lyrical clarity is not always present in his delivery. More vibrant is the performance of Reshma Shetty as the beautiful young filmmaker Priya, who refuses to compromise her principles for fame. She also possesses the outstanding voice of the cast.

Sandra Allen’s show-stopping turn as Rani, India’s reigning screen sex goddess, injects a healthy dose of curry into the proceedings. Aneesh Sheth has some fine moments as Sweetie, Akaash’s eunuch friend and heartbreaking link to his roots in the slum.

Accelerating the moral conflict is Deep Katdare as a supposedly charitable lawyer bent on saving the slum. Christine Toy Johnson also sparkles as a TV newswoman commenting wryly on India’s showbiz scene.

Lisa Stevens’ elaborate choreography, backed by Elaine Davidson’s throbbing, percussion-heavy orchestra, elevates the show’s abundance of musical numbers, particularly the “Shakalaka Baby” piece that features the flowing fountain.

“Bombay Dreams” is a resplendent blend of old (plot) and new (presentation) in a spicy concoction of affection and enthusiasm.