Edinburgh Fringe 2015
Ticket to Bollywood
Ferriswheel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd
Genre: Dance and Movement Theatre
Venue: New Town Theatre
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
This is an hour out of your life you will want to repeat as the dancers take us through three sections – An Indian Wedding, Indian Culture and the Indian People. Encouraged by a partisan crowd this was a festival of all things Indian which had a tempo and a pace that was breathtaking. By the end the audience was on its feet – encouraged by themselves and the cast as they danced the aisles away, hoping for a new dawn and hoping that it would not arrive too soon.
Review
This comes from a commercially driven piece of theatre that has toured the world. This is a mere section of what must be a complete joy of a show. It begins with an introduction that was all about the adverts rather than the artistic merit. Between a sound system that was far too loud, to a slick voice over and a film that seemed to come out of the Indian Tourist board I was not hopeful at the start. Then came the art and the dancers who were some of the most enthusiastic I have ever seen. It was mesmerising and the amount of effort these guys had put into their segments gave us traditional Indian dance with a modern twist. The audience were ecstatic and the number of times that a particular song was started that they whooped with delight as they obviously knew it was helpful for people like me who had no clue!
The costumes were magnificent and we were treated to some of most vibrant and colourful costumes you will see at Edinburgh. The set was functional apart from three screens that were clumsily wheeled on at one point. It was this lack of slickness I was not prepared for and though it didn’t spoil my experience irritated me.
The fact is that you need to beg, borrow or steal a ticket to see this show. It has all of the enthusiasm of the Fringe wrapped up in a massive bhangra blanket and shared with love and understanding to entice you into the aisles. By the end of the show the performers were off the stage, in the audience and leading us all in a wee dance; magic so it was…
