goestoshow

Bye Bye Bombay is the story of an Indian-American woman who seeks out her family’s roots in India after her mothers’ death, with only a picture of her mother, looking more carefree than she can recall in her life, splashing in an unknown river as guide.

The story is interesting, if only as an exploration of Indian culture as it differs from North American. The protagonist, Gauri, falls into the glamourous Bollywood culture before discovering its dark side. With the help of a friendly person she met on her first day, she escapes from that to find her true purpose in India.

The highlight of the play, for me, was the interludes. The video logs and the puppetry. The frame story of a raindrop seeking a river to rest in. I was less enthused by the actual story, but it may have been late-fringe exhaustion setting in for the performer, Cara Yeates. She seemed to have some trouble keeping up with the physical demands of her show, as well as the character shifts.

If you have an interest in India or Indian culture, this is probably something you might enjoy seeing.