Bombay Dreams, at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, is perhaps the biggest gamble in Andrew Lloyd Webber's audacious career.

There has never been a show like it on the London stage.

Its 42-strong cast is largely Asian and it trades on a film subculture which is distinctly alien to most non-Asian people in the UK.

Essentially it's a western musical

Ramon Tikaram, Bombay Dreams

And after a couple of early-closing shows - Whistle Down The Wind and The Beautful Game - which suggested that Lord Lloyd-Webber might be losing his magic touch, the impresario and composer has sunk �4.5m into putting on the new production.

But the feeling of moving into uncharted waters seems only to have added to the excitement of the show's cast.

Ramon Tikaram, best-known for his role as Ferdy in BBC One's This Life, plays one of the principals, Vikram, in the musical.

He told BBC News Online he felt part of "pioneering project".

'Absorbed'

"We also feel we're part of a very original idea, which is to get 42 Asian actors together," he said.

"We've been completely absorbed by the world of Bombay Dreams and nothing else.

"We've been rehearsing so hard. We were getting slightly tired, but this week people are happy and have a very healthy anticipation for the show."

A R Rahman is a celebrated figure in Indian popular music

Tikaram is in no doubt that Lord Lloyd-Webber's team, of composer A R Rahman, lyricist Don Black and writer Meera Syal is a world-beating combination.

In fact, he said, the result is not pure Bollywood at all.

"The core audience may be slightly surprised in terms of its western references.

"It's got recognisable icons and symbols from the west, it's completely in English with a couple of Hindi words for effect, but essentially it's a western musical.

"We're acting a way of life which exists in Bombay, but people will recognise we're British Asian actors.

Spectacle

"And it doesn't draw too much on sentiment, and probably because it has such a bitter-sweet ending a lot of the core Bollywood audience are slightly mystified by that."

What is Bollywood is the spectacle.

"It's highly spectacular - a lot of the dancing is Bollywood, and Shakalaka Baby, the centrepiece of the show, is the ultimate drum and bass tune."

White audience members love it as much as the Asians do

Davina Perera, Bombay Dreams

Ensemble member Davina Perrera -whose mother is Northern Irish and father is Indian - told BBC News Online the show was "bang in the middle of east and west".

"There's a fountain moment when all the girls are dancing through the fountain and we all get very wet to Shakalaka Baby," she said.

"It's sung in English but the music's very Asian, very Indian.

"It's a fantastic song - I won't ever forget the first time I heard it. You can't not sing along to it or dance to it."

Though the show is directed by Steven Pimlott, Lord Lloyd-Webber had been a regular visitor to rehearsals, said Ms Perrera.

"He's incredibly encouraging, he's got nothing but nice things to say to us and he's incredibly excited.

Preeya Kalidas, who plays the heroine, with Lloyd Webber

"Whenever he comes in he gets very passionate and excited about it."

Ms Perrera thinks that the show will cross over to the white majority audience without any problem.

"When the cast took the job on we were actually expecting something along the lines of Miss Saigon, or Moulin Rouge.

"But they've very cleverly mixed the east and west and we have just as many white audience members as we have Asian, and they love it as much as the Asians do."

And by the day before opening night, advance ticket sales had already reached �2m - suggesting that Andrew Lloyd Webber's gamble might pay off.

Shakalaka Baby by Preeya Kalidas is released as a single on 24 June.