Westend ho!

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Kabir Bedi will star in Westend''s Far Pavilions</span><br /></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -3"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="0" width="36.1%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" white=""> <div class="Normal"><img src="/photo/1004363.cms" alt="/photo/1004363.cms" border="0" /></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">Musicals and India. That''s the buzz at Broadway and Westend, which is set to welcome another musical with an Indian theme, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Far Pavilions</span>, this summer. This time, Kabir Bedi and Sophiya Haque land meaty roles, along with playback singer Gayatri Aiyer in the lead. Directed by Gale Edwards of <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Jesus</span> <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Christ Superstar</span> fame, the musical will premiere at Shafsbury Theatre on April 14. <br /><br />Kabir plays Khodadad Khan, who secretly helps the two lovers -- an Indian princess and a British boy -- get together. "I''ve never done a musical before. It''s been a new experience doing theatre for Westend." <br /><br />Explaining the interest in India for musicals, producer Michael Ward says: "It''s a cycle, repeated every 25 years, specially in Britain, where offspring of Indians who settled here decades ago want to discover India. India and Bollywood are the flavour in the West; musicals with Indian themes will do well. That''s why <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Bombay Dreams</span> was a hit."<br /><span style="" font-style:="" italic=""><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script></span></div> </div>