Stage adaptation of classic movie has highs and lows

BOLLYWOOD film Disco Dancer is best remembered for the stunning soundtracks and sparkly suits. The 1982 disco classic has been given a new lease of life with a stage musical, which recently had its UK premiere at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London.

The story revolves around an impoverished young man dealing with a past trauma, who returns to Bombay with his mother and finds stardom. Along the way he overcomes challenges, including an evil dance rival. The action is broken up by a stand-up comedian, who acts as a narrator and gives a funny take on the ‘cheesiness’ of old Bollywood films.

Mixing up stand-up comedy with a disco-fuelled story set in the early 1980s gave an interesting new take on the Bollywood musical, with jokes leading into action and musical numbers. The constant breaking up of what was going on stage turned this colourful production into a series of highs and lows. The highlights were the big musical numbers performed by a talented cast, singing, and dancing their way through the iconic Disco Dancer songs.

Lead star Arjun Tanwar was particularly good and had great stage presence, even when there were several technical hiccups. Musical highlights were the songs Jimmy Jimmy, Koi Yahan Nache Nache and Yaad Aa Raha Hai. A few extra songs, not in the original, were added to good effect.

Some of the jokes by British stand-up comedian Shazia Mirza were genuinely funny, but she went off on too many tangents and at times remained on stage for too long. Those who remember the original will know the story isn’t great and although it was streamlined for this production, it still came across as silly. The Disco Dancer musical had nice comedy breaks, and you desperately want to like it because of the songs, but too many technical hitches, a comedian on stage too long, and poor staging made it a frustrating watch.