Bend it Like Beckham the Musical to retell original story with a different experience
By Harrish Thirukumaran
On May 7, 2019, a press conference was held to launch the promotion of Bend it like a Beckham the Musical at the IN5 Experium. As the name suggests, the production is based on the 2002 hit film about a girl from a traditional Indian family looking to follow her dreams in soccer. The announcement of the musical was made by Gurinder Chadha, the critically acclaimed director, producer and screenwriter behind the film, and Corey Ross, founder and CEO of Starvox Entertainment.
Considered a cultural ambassador for the Punjabi, Sikh and South Asian communities abroad, Gurinder Chadha has been lauded for her films and how they speak on the immigrant experience. She chose Toronto, Canada to announce this project because it is a great city that celebrates and embraces diversity. The musical, like the movie, is an extension of that celebration of diversity. It also speaks on the balance in families between traditions of older generation and new ideas of the younger generation.
In the past, there was a hardline between either side, but these days, especially in Great Britain, there seems to be a middle ground being fostered by a third generation. The beauty of the original film was that it helped both parents and kids have discussions on how you actually integrate and find language to stay together as families, while also finding opportunities to express yourself in new countries.
The musical will make its debut here in Toronto, Ontario in December 2019. It will be at the Bluma Appel Theatre. The exact dates will be December 7 to December 24, which is just before the holiday season. Tickets will be available at BendItMusical.com.
The most important message to the Desi community in this respect would be to visit the site for the group discounts. 25% discounts are available to those who go as families, as emphasized by Chadha, because it is important that people from the community are seen in these theatres, so more stories and shows are made that cater to this community.
Corey Ross heads a fast-growing production company in the live entertainment space that has proudly worked on the Bend It Musical for over two years. Interest in the film went back to 2015 for Ross, highlighting that it was a wonderful experience seeing the musical in London during a vacation with his family. It won the Best Musical Critics Circle Award in Britain, sparking an interest on bringing it to Toronto due to its rich multicultural market.
It would be a wonderful opportunity for Canadian actors, especially Desi actors. They began putting together a plan to bring it to Toronto by partnering with TO Live, the new amalgamated Toronto theatres. This is the first project that the company has partnered on. From Toronto, the show will be taken as a tour to places like Broadway.
Gurinder Chadha decided to make the sports-based film into a musical because it is was the first film ever to be distributed in every country in the world, including North Korea. “It means that it was picked up, treasured, and loved by everybody, regardless of whether their Indian or not.” said Chadha. That universal story, really, for Chadha, inspired her to turn it into a musical. It’s a very emotional movie when watching it. For instance, the dad’s story is very powerful. Furthermore, by adding songs and music to the dad’s story, mother’s story, and girls’ story, everything gets elevated as it becomes more emotional. Although the movie is great, Chadha states she thinks the musical is much better in retelling the story from the film, but with a different experience.
In terms of casting for the Canadian production, a local casting process has just begun in Toronto, with Chadha having already met some actors. Auditions will begin on May 26th to provide for roles including the big Indian family in the show. Any actors that may not be found in Toronto will be brought from London, but there is a firm belief that talent is present in Toronto. She is unsure as to whether she’ll cast the lead actress from the original film, saying that Jess may be found in Brampton.
On the prospect of regionalizing the script or adjusting it based on the cast, Chadha noted that the musical is pretty universal like the film. The film could have taken place anywhere in the world. They’ve found that you do not have to adapt the film locally. There was one aspect of it where it was local in London. Really, however, it is a universal story about a mom and dad who want their daughter to behave the way they wanted and playing football doesn’t look nice as the mom says. She needs to learn to cook and make round rotis, even though the daughter has a different dream for herself.
So, it is a show about dreams, and what the parent’s generation wanted for themselves, but weren’t able to have, but now they have the opportunity to hold the door back to protect their daughter or let her fly.
Chadha initially did not know the launch event for the musical would be at the IN5 Experium, but she knew she wanted to visit the exhibition. There was a synergy here, and it was really an auspicious blessing because there was no other better place to launch the musical. At the end of the day, the musical is very much based on Sikh values of bettering yourself and taking your community with you. That’s what Jess wants to do.
The main takeaway for a South Asian audience would be pride, thorough entertainment in a voice and style that you can relate to or never seen on stage and are touched and moved by that story because it’s your story and everyone else’s story. For non-South Asian audiences, it celebrates humanity in a time where inhumane things were happening. Bend it Like Beckham came out straight after 9/11, and there were people in North America who did not know the difference between Sikhs and Muslims. Chadha got numerous letters from Sikhs saying “thank you for showing us that we’re different” and “who we are.”
It is important that we tell stories that unite us and give a sense of empowerment as a community, as girls, as sons and daughters, but also as parents. As a non-South Asian, Ross highlighted that you are immersed in a different world, with characters you can relate to, a story that touches you, and ultimately a very fun and wonderful evening for all.
