Neil Shastri points to his name on the playbill

Broadway Diary, Part 2

Neil’s Broadway debut is “awesome”

(Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part interview by Young Saint Louis.com with 11-year-old Neil Shastri. Last month, he opened in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new Broadway musical, “Bombay Dreams.”)

St. Louisan Neil Shastri said there was only one word to describe his opening on Broadway: “Awesome”.

Neil has been in New York for several months since winning a role in “Bombay Dreams.”

Webber’s play tells the story of a guy from the slums who “makes it” in Bollywood. That’s the name for the film-making community in India.

Neil and Tanvir Gopal, the other young actor playing Munna

Neil has the role of Munna, a 10-year-old slum kid who is the friend of the play’s star.

His actual personal debut on Broadway was on the second night of the play’s run.

He shares the role of Munna with another kid, Tanvir Gopal. The Munna role requires two performers because of their young age. Under labor rules, neither Neil or Tanvir can work enough hours to handle the role alone.

Tanvir got the call for opening night on Thursday, April 29. Neil was in the role on Friday, April 30. The kids alternate every other performance. Sometimes, they both perform the same day because there are both matinee and evening performances.

On the night of his first performance, Neil said, “When I went into my office, you couldn’t even see the desk. It was covered with opening-day presents. One of the presents was a model of a Tony award. Of course, it wasn’t a real one.”

Broadway Theatre where Bombay Dreams is playing

He added, “I also got a decorative plate from the guy who rewrote the play.” The musical has been a success in London for some time. Then, Webber created an American version for Broadway.

After the show, he went to a “grand opening” reception that filled four floors of a nearby building. He also goes to press conferences to promote “Bombay Dreams.” One themed press conference even introduced a “Bombay ice cream” and “Bombay martini.”

Neil said now the audiences are bigger and more lively than they were at earlier preview shows. Before the formal Broadway opening, there were several preview shows to try out the musical in front of live audiences.

Those early days were very busy ones for Neil. He’d have a tutor to help him complete class lessons he brought from St. Louis’ Sperreng Middle School. Then, he’d have rehearsals in the afternoon and a preview performance in the evening.

Neil with Andrew Lloyd Webber, JJ (mom) and Anita (sister)

Now the show has started its formal run, Neil’s life is a little easier. There are less rehearsals and more free time.

Neil’s changed his school situation. He’s pretty much finished with his Sperreng lessons.

So, he’s enrolled at MS 131, a middle school in Chinatown.

“I’m participating in the classes but I’m doing it for fun,” the sixth grader said. “I’m making lots of new friends.”

Neil and Anisha Nagarajan, who plays Priya in "Bombay Dreams"

He said most of the kids at his new school are Chinese-American. “But, there are some Americans and African-Americans. All sorts of different kids,” he said.

If “Bombay Dreams” is still running in the fall, Neil said he’ll probably transfer full-time to a New York school. He can go to school during the day and then perform at night. Of course, on matinee days, he’s have to get excused from classes.

Neil still hasn’t been able to do much sight-seeing around the New York area.

But, he said he did have one unusual sight come to him. He said the new Queen Mary II ocean liner is docked in the river “right down the street from our apartment.” The Queen Mary II recently finished its maiden voyage across the Atlantic and docked in New York.

Jay (Dad), Anita (sister), JJ (mom) and Neil at a press conference

Neil said, “It’s really big. I feel like an ant next to it.” He added, “They tell me it takes it 1 1/2 hours just to turn around.”

Asked about his reaction to New York, Neil said, “In Saint Louis, you don’t see very many people walking. In New York, the streets are like a carnival. You never know what you’re going to see.”

Neil and his mother, JJ, have been staying in an apartment right off of Broadway. Neil walks to his work at the theater.

He said he’s seen dancers and musicians on the street and in the subways. “I even saw rats running on the subway tracks,” he added.

(If you’d like to read the first Broadway Diary article, click here. If you’d like to learn more about the musical, visit www.broadway.com. If you click on “Bombay Dreams” segment, there’s a picture of Neil at the grand opening.)