Re. BOMBAY DREAMS: The only song in the show that is, to my knowledge, lip-synched, is "Shakalaka Baby." Reason being, during the number they are literally dancing in thirty-foot water fountains, therefore rendering their wireless microphones unusable, not to mention the fact that the conductor has to step away from his podium and cover his music stand with plastic to keep his score dry because BOY! does that water fly, and I believe most of the orchestra cleared the pit as well. The "Shakalaka Baby" used on Broadway is, in fact, from the Original London Cast Recording. I believe the song was a hit before the show opened and was shoe-horned in, so it is entirely possible that they're just using the track that was played on the radio. They do make sure to work the lip-synching into the script with a line explaining that they use pre-recorded tracks in Bollywood films. Once the number is over, practically everyone onstage leaves and changes out of their wet things, which provides the opportunity to put their mics back on, and a plethora of stage hands come out in costume and mop up the floors during the next scene. It was a fascinating number to watch in the theatre--I couldn't believe I was actually seeing what I was seeing.
