There is no question that Rifco Theatre Company, the producers of
Frankie Goes To Bollywood, now running at Royal & Derngate as part of a UK Tour, have come up with a cracking title for their show. However, as Bollywood descends upon Northampton, the question is, is this a gimmick title attached to a shallow show, or are we heading for Bollywood dreams?
The show, unsurprisingly, follows a character named Frankie and tells the story of her dream to become a Bollywood star, a dream she shares with her best friend, Goldy. Following an opportune encounter with a famous Bollywood director, Frankie is invited to audition for his next movie, and her adventures begin. However, will the dream be the one she truly imagined?
What is evident with
Frankie Goes To Bollywood on stage is the love for creating a big, bold production. The staging is colourful and tries very hard to be epic, just like the Bollywood movies that it tells its story through. Unfortunately for all the boldness on offer, there is an inherent clumsiness to the production and staging. Scene changes are unclean and messy, leaving the production with an occasional amateurish feel. It is dressed magnificently, though, by Andy Kumar’s costumes, a seemingly endless array, especially for the tremendously hard-working ensemble to keep changing into.
The lack of polish in the production, though, is a huge shame, as there is much to like about the story and the show as a whole. Many of the performers get their, admittendely, broadly drawn characters down to perfection and you can’t help but love them and feel for their journey at times. This is thanks to Pravesh Kumar's book, which, especially in the first act, is gently humorous. Yes, it is obvious humour, but it is unquestionably entertaining and refreshingly unpretentious.
Scenes featuring our lead Frankie and her best friend (sister, cousin) Goldy are some of the best. They have a sparky repartee that is sadly missed as Goldy is edged out of the main story. Frankie is played with an enthusiastic and charming quality by Sarah Pearson, all wide-eyed belief in the good things to come in her life. She is a strong lead to lay the story on. Katie Stasi is equally a bundle of energy, the one who truly wants to become a Bollywood star, but sees that dream taken away by another so close to her.
Once we reach Bollywood, the characters become more like they are truly in a Bollywood movie, with Ankur Sabharwal’s ageing star Raju King, a caricature of everything that is wrong with the men of Bollywood. A wimpish mother's boy offstage, who only survives due to the constant drive to stay looking young via any means necessary. The camp Shona, a man of many talents, is played with assurance by Luke Suri, and while he entertains whenever on stage, you can’t help but think there is actually little depth to his character, or indeed the characters as a whole.
Unfortunately, a lack of depth can be an accusation against the whole show, with the storytelling being very shallow, very obvious, and not as gritty as it sometimes hopes to be. The question is whether the intent is to make the whole production as shallow as a Bollywood movie? If that's the case, it doesn’t make it clear and just comes across as an unpolished production.
It’s a shame, as there truly is much there to like, just itching to get out with better direction, choreography and some scenes tightening up. We certainly don’t need the spotlights pushed around as often as they are, and a rather limp fan wheeled on to create “the scene”. The musical numbers are big and entertaining enough not to need gimmicks like this. This is the direction that is the issue, and here it perhaps shows that a writer shouldn’t always direct and should allow the piece to breathe through another's eyes.
So,
Frankie Goes to Bollywood is disappointing in this iteration but still surprisingly entertaining. The first act is enjoyable and fresh, but the second lacks the initial thrill and goes through the motions to get to the very much expected conclusion. This could be so much better with a little more polish, inventiveness, and, where possible, larger staging, as the production looks far too cramped on a stage like the Royal. Recommended for the chance to see something very different on the Royal stage, but not for any deep or meaningful theatre.
A rough diamond of a show awaits polish for the true quality to emerge.
⭐⭐⭐
Performance reviewed: Thursday, 16th April 2026, at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton.
Frankie Goes To Bollywood is at Royal & Derngate until Saturday, 18th April 2026, before continuing its tour.
For further details about the Royal & Derngate and to book tickets, see their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk
Production photos: Richard Lakos
