If William Shakespeare was alive today he would be writing Bollywood films, that's the view of Sam Sterling, the man behind Popo Gigi, a comedy play that blends the famous playwright and the Indian art form together.
The all-singing all-dancing musical comedy drama, which includes a free Bollywood dance lesson with a top choreographer, gets it's world premiere at Fairfield Halls on Tuesday, where it runs for 11 days.
"We have taken the Shakespearean theme and the Bollywood theme and looked at how they would fit in today," says writer, producer and star Sam.
"We contemplated how society would behave today and I think if Shakespeare was alive he would be writing for Bollywood films."
To that extent, the plays revolves around Pop Gigi, a famous Bollywood actor played by Sam who comes to England to play Romeo in Romeo & Juliet but decides he wants to take Shakespeare back to India.
"He comes to England to play Romeo but has an underlying motive," says Sam.
"He wants to move Stratford to Bollywood because he thinks India is the biggest English speaking country in the world and the best English playwright should be there.
"Unfortunately he gets a bit confused between Stratford-Upon-Avon and Stratford East.
"At the same time he has an evil twin brother trying to take everything away from him."
The story started life last year as a film made for Cannes that eventually got developed into the stage version.
"Originally I made a short film and a music video which I took to Cannes Film Festival in 2008 and it was very well received there," says Sam.
"Then somebody said to me it would work wonderfully as a play so I adapted the film and the music video and here we are.
"It's the first time it's been done anywhere and I'm excited but of course a bit nervous too.
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