FringeNYC Previews

Bye Bye Bombay

Produced by Cara Yeates Presents

Author: Cara Yeates

Bye Bye Bombay is a multi-media adventure, which takes the audience to Bollywood and beyond. A coming of age tale with a masala twist and a Bollywood flair, Bye Bye Bombay tells the story of Gauri: a young Canadian girl who runs away to India to discover her Indian heritage and explore her mother's mysterious past. She arrives in Bombay without a clue of the whirlwind that will lead her deep into the heart of Bollywood. Through her humorous yet tragic journey Gauri learns more than just the art of crossing the road in India.

The key issues explored in Bye Bye Bombay are a reflection of  North America's multicultural landscape. This one woman show features a diverse and rich cast of characters, as well as unique multi-media elements such as puppetry, video, animation and some good old Bollywood dancing. It is a show which will appeal to the entire family.

The powerful response to Bye Bye Bombay across Canada has inspired me to bring it to the New York International Fringe. This show is a labour of love. I have spent over a year researching in India, six months of which I spent working in Bombay in the Indian film industry. Everything in India is extreme, this is both thrilling and draining.  Bombay is unlike anywhere I have ever been. There is such an extreme contrast between the opulence of the film industry and poverty of everyday life. Bollywood happened to me much like it happens to my main character. In many ways my journey parallels Gauri's. I almost lost myself in the glitz and glamour of Bombay's film industry but in the end I escaped back to Canada to write, produce and tour this show.

Cara Yeates, creator/actor,