June 16th 1978, John Travolta and Olivia Newton John were cruising toward The Chinese Theatre for the premier of the musical ‘Grease’ where a multitude of fans had gathered.

June 16th 2023 saw another multitude of fans gathered at St Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra for the musical ‘Timeless…Always & Forever’ - A StreaminLive and Darren Das Production.

It was a night of nostalgia as the likes of radio jockey and the man who makes Blues his business - Brian Tellis, Mumbai’s very own Elvis Impersonator – Sidd Meghani, film playback singer, songwriter and more - Suzanne D’Mello, singer, songwriter - Keshia B, musical theatre actor, singer - Kamakshi Rai, and last but not the least - producer, curator, singer, VO artist - Darren Das; all took the stage to create a Time Machine with their voices. The band and the backing musicians were anything but just in the background as their instruments and voices added magic to the performances.

I’ve had the privilege of breathing the proverbial and apparently rarefied air of fans and friends who have experienced Brian Tellis act, conduct, compere, anchor, host, moderate, jockey, and sing. The man might make the Blues his business, but he definitely makes whatever hat he dons ours. And Timeless… Always and Forever was no exception.

Sidd “Elvis” Meghani, brought the King of Rock n Roll from Memphis to Mumbai with his melodies, moves, and mannerisms. Having worked with Sidd behind the scenes so many times, it’s always magic watching it all come together on stage as there’s a whole lotta shakin’ going on.

A certain flair, dapper dressing, and joie de vivre form the DNA of a Darren Das performance. From cooking to concerts and beyond, Darren has been keeping people entertained for a long time. At his curated and produced show, Darren brought the house down with equal parts elan and magic.

Science taught us that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Well, Timeless… showed us that Suzanne D’Mello was the powerhouse of the show; laying her voice all out on the stage and piercing us with her gorgeous vocal range.

Keshia B has a voice that lifts one out of any stupor and transports them to another world. Her costumes may have dazzled the Auditorium as they reflected the lights off the disco ball but her voice reverberated through the 700-odd souls ensconced in the chairs on that Friday night.

Having first seen and heard Kamakshi Rai in Rahul DaCunha’s #SingIndiaSing, I can assure you her spark has just gotten brighter and brighter. From the time she hit her first note, her melodious voice captured and held everyone’s attention.

If anything can be credited to weaving it all together, it was Karla Singh and her banter with the audience. From trivia to quips, she had the audience caught in the grasp of her vocal rasp.

St Andrew’s Audi definitely became the T.A.R.D.I.S. and the various musical Companions took us on a trip. Niloufer Rohira and Darren Das - you were the Doctors, the helm, the pivot for all of this to come to life. Leisha you grabbed that wheel and steered everything right.

While there were many stars in the audience from actor, model, pageant director Marc Robinson to pop and playback singer Suneeta Rao to veteran music journalist Narendra Kusnur, columnist Marcellus Baptista and many other stalwarts from varied fields; everyone left feeling like a superstar.

This is a night no one should have missed. Especially the itsy bitsy cameo by the yellow polka dot bikini. (But if you did miss this night, there’s always December 3rd.)

I, for one, am glad I was there. And from my musical heart to yours - keep rocking! Let the music play…

Tracklist

Act I

SOMEWHERE

FASCINATION

MEMORY

TROUBLE

SAVING ALL MY LOVE

DANCING IN THE DARK

LONG TRAIN RUNNING

HARRY BELAFONTE MEDLEY

AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN

Act II

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

TUTTIFRUTTI | WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN

WOMAN IN LOVE

IM SO EXCITED

DANIEL

PROUD MARY

CHA CHA MEDLEY

I WILL SURVIVE

MY WAY

CIRCLE OF LIFE

Hosted by Karla Singh

Musicians:

Lead Guitar - Wilburn DCosta

Drums - Sylvester Chaves

Keyboard - Arthur Lobo

Bass Guitar - Russell Fernandes

Saxophone  - Enrico Rodrigues

Backing Vocalists

Yohanna Pais

Quinton Pereira

Royston Fernandes

Roselle Fernandes

Technicals

Venue Light n Sound - Roger Drego

Light Design - Michael Nazareth

Sound Engineer - Joslyn Lobo

Backdrop Execution  - Nelson Fernandes

Stage Manager - Leisha Rohira

Photography and Videography - Studio Sinera

Publicity Video Shooting & Processing - Dior Das

Creatives - Karen Vaswani

On Stage Gear –Furtados

Editorial Photo Credits - Adarbad Master

© Ayesha Dominica

About the Author

Ayesha Dominica is a fiercely independent writer who has been published regularly since age 13. When she's not intimidating strangers with her love for polysyllabic words and British Crime Shows, she works as an artist manager for DJ Russel. She is prone to withdrawal symptoms if distanced from her books or her Funko collection. But you can easily distract her with the colour yellow, Doctor Who, Supernatural, and music trivia. ​