We are super excited to announce that Arts Council England is investing more than £350,000 in Phizzical for a national tour of Bring on the Bollywood. This fun family experience is also a finalist for the Best Theatre Production at this year’s Asian Media Awards.
The money from Arts Council’s Strategic Touring programme will enable us to perform this vibrant romantic comedy at theatres, including Vivacity Key Theatre, Hall for Cornwall and The New Wolsey. Bring on the Bollywood is being produced in partnership with the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, where the research and development for first run of the show took place earlier this year before it opened to rave reviews from local audiences.
The Asian Media Awards showcase the very best talent working in Asian media and creative industries. The winners will be announced on the 27 October at The Hilton, Manchester.
Phizzical easily justifies its name: it fizzes and whizzes, sizzles and bristles and teases with comedy, makes you want to laugh and sing, and tickles you with a storyline that could be a cousin of The Comedy of Errors or Twelfth Night.
Featuring a cast of 24 performers, Bring on the Bollywood will launch in May 2017 ahead of the summer celebrations marking 70 years of India’s independence. It will see the play performed in Barnet, Cornwall, Coventry, Doncaster, Hornchurch, Ipswich, Kingston-upon-Thames, Peterborough, Poole and Southampton.
Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England, said: “Bring on the Bollywoodis home-grown in the Midlands, building on the region’s established reputation as a place where innovative theatre production is thriving. We’re delighted to be supporting Phizzical to take the show on a national tour, giving more people the chance to enjoy this contemporary take on Bollywood’s drama, pathos and romance. We hope it will inspire regular theatre goers and attract new audiences to see something at their local arts venue.”
Bring on the Bollywood tells the story of the Pawar family’s attempts to see their sharp, sassy and quick-witted daughter Katrina marry Ronny, a quiet and withdrawn British man visiting India after losing his first love. What could possibly go wrong?
Samir Bhamra, Phizzical Productions, said: “Bring on the Bollywood is about overcoming life’s challenges particularly when decisions seem irreversible and relationships appear irreconcilable. It is our mission to attract, diversify and integrate new and existing audiences with an entertaining and spectacular production that will help and nurture young (and not-so-young) talented people. Who knows where a Bollywood workshop will lead to? We hope that everyone involved will have a creative experience that is inspiring, enlightening, a lot of fun and possibly life-changing.”
