Neil Shastri (front), his co-star, and some of the Board of Directors of the Bravo Theatre Group. From left: Mike Joerling, Neil, Joel Hackbarth, Jeff Wright, Ayesha Dharker and Christina Joerling. Ayesha Dharker plays Rani in "Bombay Dreams."

Broadway Diary

Neil Shastri makes Broadway debut

St. Louisan Neil Shastri has been in New York City for over two months. And, he still hasn't visited the Statue of Liberty.

But, the 11-year-old Neil has done something hardly any kids his age have accomplished. Last month, he made his acting debut on Broadway in an Andrew Lloyd Webber play.

Neil is in the role of Munna, a slum kid in India, in Webber's "Bombay Dreams." After being a hit in London, the show had its American opening the last weekend in April.

The show is about a man from the Indian slums who succeeds in Bollywood. That's the name given to the film community in India. Munna is the "best friend" of the play's lead actor, Neil said.

"The lead actor betrays people from the slums. But, the story has a happy ending," Neil said. He wouldn't give away any more of the play's storyline before the opening.

Since Neil found out in February that he got his Broadway role, his life has been hectic.

First, he and his mother, JJ, moved from their St. Louis home to New York. They are living in an apartment just a 10 minute walk from his theater rehearsals. "Bombay Dreams" is playing at the Broadway Theater.

His days start with three hours to school tutoring. He brought all of his class lessons from Sperreng Middle School. His tutor is Muriel Kester, a New York teacher. They work on the lessons which are then sent back to St. Louis.

After his lunch, he rehearses at the theater for four hours in the afternoon.

"Then, after a dinner break, we have the preview shows," he said. Those shows before a live audience are from 8 to about 10:30 p.m.

Because of all the long hours, there are two boys who share the Munna role, Neil said. The other boy is Tanvir Gopal, an Indian kid from New York. The boys will take turns performing on stage.

That's especially important when the show has two shows a day. One is a matinee performance and then there's an evening show.

Neil said, "Tanvir and I get along great." He adds, "The whole cast has been awesome."

With the start of regular performances, Neil's life is going to get a little less hectic.

For one thing, he's going to start to go to a regular school. "In May, I'll go to a school in Chinatown. Classes are from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.," he said. Then, he'll take his place on stage for the evening performances.

Neil said, "I kind of miss going to school and being with all the kids. Of course, I'll have to make new friends at the new school."

He said, if "Bombay Dreams" has a long run on Broadway, "I might start school here in the fall."

Also, when the show has a regular schedule and fewer rehearsals, Neil said will step up his sightseeing trips around New York. That's where a visit to the Statue of Liberty comes in.

He said, "So far, I haven't been around very much. But, since I'm near Broadway, even walking to the theater gives me a lot to see."

He said his tutor did take him on a field trip to the Museum of Natural History. "They've got lots of dinosaur bones and lots of stuffed animals," he said.

But, one special attraction has been the chance to see lots of stars coming to be on the David Letterman's late night TV show.

"The theater where the Letterman show is done is right next to our theater. We can look out the back door of our theater and see the stars show up for his show," he said.

Neil said he hasn't been nervous during rehearsals or performances of "Bombay Dreams." He said, "I'm just going with the flow."

And, he added, "Since I'm from India, it's really fun to be doing something with my culture."

Neil has taken a realistic view of his acting career. He knows that his role of Munna calls for him to be a 10-year-old slum kid. "If I grow two inches or my voice changes, I might be out. They'd have to get another boy to play that part," he said.

But, he added, "That's all right. People will know I've been on Broadway."

(For more in the New York adventures of Neil Shastri, watch Young Saint Louis.com's June edition. We'll have a second installment of his unique experiences on Broadway.)