Opening dates and the cast has been announced for Rifco Theatre’s much-anticipated ‘Frankie Goes To Bollywood’: A Billion Colour Musical.

After opening at the Watford Palace Theatre on April 25, the show will run in Manchester from May 15-25 and then head out on a national tour to Hayes, Hornchurch, Wolverhampton, Bradford, Windsor Coventry, and Cardiff among others.

Rifco Theatre Company in partnership with Watford Palace Theatre and HOME Manchester have also announced the headline cast for what is being described the theatre company's most ‘spectacular and ambitious musical to date’.

Conceived by Artistic Director of Rifco, Pravesh Kumar MBE, Frankie Goes To Bollywood is an all-singing-all-dancing tale of heroes and villains, with all the costumes and the spectacle of a Bollywood feature film.

The show features Laila Zaidi (Clem in 'Little Bits Of Light' (National Theatre, London) who plays the title role of Frankie. 

Helen K. Wint (Bronco Billy (Charing Cross); Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (Wyndhams); Dirty Dancing (UK Tour) plays Malika, Malika, a Bollywood starlet who knows that her reign is limited. 

Shakil Hussain plays Raju King. Raju is known as the King of Bollywood and has reigned for over 25 years.

Gigi Zahir plays Shona Chatterji. Shona (they/them) is the most sought-after choreographer in the industry. 

Singer Navin Kundra plays Prem Kapoor, an independent filmmaker who comes from a family of filmmakers. Katie Stasi plays Goldy Singh. Goldy is Frankie's cousin and friend who works with her at the cinema. She dreams big but struggles to take action.

Frankie feels alone and wishes she had a family. She loves watching Bollywood films because they remind her of her mother and a place where she can belong. 

As she climbs up the ladder of stardom, she realises that she has to sacrifice more and more of herself to get to the top. 

Frankie Goes To Bollywood is said to be inspired by those true stories of young men and women who make the journey to India to become Brits in Bollywood. 

Pravesh said: “A lot of the story is about a question of belonging. In some ways in the UK, British born South Asian people, will still forever be seen by many as immigrants, no matter how many generations their families have lived in Britain.

"So forging a career in Bollywood, be that in front of or behind the camera can be seen by those who go out there, as somewhat of a homecoming. 

“But then, being British born, and new to a lot of the culture, many of the women who go to work in the industry become acutely aware of the deeply ingrained sexism, not just within the industry itself, but displayed on screen. And that’s something they have to address and decide how much of that disparity they can put up with.”

 “I wanted to highlight this issue, because as the world fights the good fight for increased equality between genders, it’s men’s responsibility to shine a light on sexism, and to call it out when they see it - at work, amongst their friends, and in the wider world. 

“I love Bollywood fiercely and this musical is at heart, a celebration of the genre and the art and the people involved. But that doesn’t mean I’m not still hoping and pushing for change. So my hope is that is this work a celebration of Bollywood, but at the same time, a small catalyst for improved social standing for women in the industry, both behind-the-scenes, and how they are portrayed on the silver screen.”

For further details and bookings click here