By Paul Majendie
LONDON (Reuters) - At the world premiere of a new stage musical about the Indian Raj, two front row seats will be left empty by order of the author.
British novelist M.M.Kaye died before her dream could be fulfilled of seeing her romantic saga "The Far Pavilions" being performed in London’s theatre.
"If I should fall off my worldly twig before the curtain goes up, I shall make an awful nuisance of myself in the next life unless I’m allowed back to see it run," said the writer, who died in January last year at the age of 95.
So producer Michael Ward is roping off two seats on the April 14 first night as a silent tribute to Kaye and her late husband.
"This is her request and nothing will make me break that promise. I think she will be watching over us that night," Ward told Reuters.
Advertisement starts
Advertisement ends
After collaborating for almost five years on the musical, Kaye died on the first day of rehearsals for the workshop production.
Her daughters then brought along to rehearsals some of Kaye’s ashes which Ward intends to sprinkle in India after the show opens.
"Her last word before she died was ’Dammit’. Her daughters told me that meant ’I am not going to make it,’" Ward said.
"The Far Pavilions", a romantic tale of forbidden love between a British army officer and an Indian princess, was an international bestseller.
Described by critics as a "Gone With the Wind of the North West Frontier," it was adapted in the Eighties for a TV mini-series starring Ben Cross as the officer and Amy Irving as the princess.
Kaye did not approve of an American playing the role of the princess, arguing "in India you cannot throw a brick in any direction without hitting a beautiful girl and the chances are she can sing," Ward said.
After auditioning in Britain and India, the producers finally picked Bombay singer Gayatri Iyer and Hadley Fraser, fresh from six months in "Les Miserables," to play the leads.
Two thirds of the four million pound budget came from South Asians in Britain but the show faces tough competition in a crowded market.
"The Producers", "Mary Poppins" and "Woman in White" have all been successes in London’s West End where audiences almost topped 12 million last year. It was the second highest box office total in British theatre history.
Ward is grateful to Andrew Lloyd Webber for bringing the hit musical "Bombay Dreams" to London as it paved the way for him.
"It was interesting that it happened and very helpful to us," he said. "It paid back its investors and made a profit."
But the nerves are as frayed as ever. "The juggernaut is now rolling and we are in first week rehearsals of the full ensemble," he said. "It’s absolutely terrifying."
