The musical Bombay Dreams opened this week in a riot of lights and color on January 27 in Karachi.

The play - that will run till February 20 - is directed by Shah Sharahbeel who previously produced versions of Moulin Rouge and Phantom of the Opera. It is a local rendition of an Andrew Loyd Webber production that opened in 2002 and ran for two years in London, followed by a Broadway production in 2004.

The original score by A. R. Rahman was used rather than live music or singing and the elaborate sets had to be scaled down for the smaller Arts Council Stage. The considerable effort and enthusiasm of the young team however, made-up for these shortcomings and succeeded in recreating the flamboyant and entertaining experience that characterises the play’s strong earthy flavor. (Photos by Eefa Khalid & Text by Nadir Siddiqui)