The Merchants of Bollywood Plays The Jorgensen 11/19-20

'The Merchants of Bollywood': A Tale of Dance, Tradition and Rebellion plays Fri. & Sat., Nov. 19 & 20, 2010, 8:00 p.m.

It's an old story. A young rebel seeks to break with family tradition and go his or her own way. But this family's tradition is dance, and dance as it was in the Hindi film industry called Bollywood.

Based on the story of notable Indian choreographers Shri Hiralal Merchant and his granddaughter, Vaibhavi Merchant, this production's choreographer, the dynamic touring show from the film city of Mumbai, has been seen by more than 2 million people since its feet left the ground in 2005. This Australian musical, updated with top hits from Bollywood films, was written and directed by Toby Gough. Hot Bollywood songwriting brothers, Salim and Sulaiman Merchant (no relation to the dance family) wrote the music.

It comes to Jorgensen for a two-night run Nov. 19 and 20, as part of the theater's cabaret series. Audience members can enjoy casual fare and drinks, available for cash only, at their tables as they delight in the whirl of primary colors and jewel tones bedecking a cast of about 40 dancers and actors.

The story centers on the Merchant dance dynasty, whose patriarch Shantilal, played by Chandar Khanna, is dying, along with his tradition of injecting the dance of the gods into the golden era of Bollywood film. His granddaughter, Ayesha, played by Carole Furtado, is looking westward for her dance muse, rejecting her classical training. Their philosophical split seems irreparable, but Ayesha resolves to visit him and, along the way, meets her childhood sweetheart, Uday, played by Dipender Singh.

Furtado, much like the character she plays, got her dance influence from the west. Her first major appearance, in 1996, was with Slash of Guns and Roses at the MTV Launch in Bangalore. She also performed with noted pop performer Shweta Shetty and Indian rap pioneer Baba Sehgal.

This dervish of dance leaves none unaffected, critics say. "'The Merchants of Bollywood' is a turbo-charged couple of hours of song and dance performed with such utter enthusiasm the performers' toothy grins seem to be transferred to the audience as if by osmosis," one reviewer wrote in 2008.

Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus in Storrs. Regular tickets are $45, $38 and $34, with some discounts available. For tickets and information, call the Box Office at 860.486.4226, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., or order online at jorgensen.uconn.edu. Convenient free parking is available across the street in the North Garage.