The sound of music…

And yet, the pull of a musical is hard to resist. Says Vasunia, "Musicals are difficult toproduce but if done well, they can get good returns." The director of Broadway productions like My Fair Lady and The Sound Of Music knows what he is talking about. Both his plays had a fairly successful run and the reason for that, according to Vasunia, is simple: "The music must be well recognised. Most of the audience should have heard the songs before." Padamsee agrees. The first to bring musicals to Mumbai, he accepts that Evita was more successful than Roshni because everyone could literally sing along with the actors. "Who does know `Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina," he says. Who doesn’t indeed. Which is why after over a decade-long hiatus, Padamsee is reviving Evita with Sharon Prabhakar as the lead, again. The only difference: Padamsee’s original Evita drew a parallel with Indira Gandhi; his next production will look at the role of media in politics.

In fact, the ad man believes that dramas like Jaya would’ve done better if the music had been releasedbefore. Dubey does not fully agree, "It does help if the music is known but it could work the other way. There is a wonderful element of surprise when the music has not been heard before." What they both agree on is that musicals are a wise choice in a city that is home to Bollywood. "Musicals touch our hearts," says Dubey.

But that does not mean that any old nautanki will do. "People are travelling abroad and are becoming more quality conscious," says Da Cunha, "You cannot just pick any old Broadway musical and bring it to the stage." For instance, he does not believe that Grease would be well received here as the ’60s rock-n-roll era did not really happen in India. According to him, Jesus Christ Superstar has universal appeal. Vasunia agrees. Which is why he picked Fiddler on the Roof — a story about a father who wants to get his daughters married.

But even after careful planning and months of preparation, theatre remains uncertain business. Says Da Cunha, "Musicals are crowdpleasers but they are not easy to produce or to make a success." Good voices, strong tunes and foot-tapping dancing may result in another Sound Of Music. Or, another flop that is remembered only for that reason.