•Spotted in the audience at the First Night: Michael Portillo, Timothy West, Lord Attenborough, John Hurt, Nicky Hamilton
•M.M. Kaye was the daughter of a British civil servant in India, and spent most of her youth there.
•M.M. Kaye died aged 95 in January 2004. She was married to a British army officer.
•Producer Michael Ward says about his childhood years: "I lived in India till I was eight. I kept coming back from Britain during the school holidays till I was 16."
•Producer Michael Ward owns the film rights for the novel.
•Elaine Ward, the producer's wife, bought the book at W.H Smith's in 1978, when she was still a schoolgirl.
•It is mainly thanks to Elaine Ward that the book is now a West End show. Some seven years ago, she thrust a copy into her husband's hands and said: "I think this will make a good musical."
•Elaine and Michael Ward have attended every performance since the musical began previewing on March 24. Elaine says: "It’s my baby."
•Gayatri Iyer is well known in the Indian film industry as a playback singer, performing amongst others in the global success Bride and Prejudice.
•Gayatri Iyer started her performing career in a play by Alyque Padamsee, a close friend of Kabir Bedi's.
•One of Mumbai-based Gayatri Iyer's most successful years so far was 2003, with Bollywood soundtracks including Dhoom, Kisna, Page 3, Naach, and Kabir Bedi's movie Rudraksh.
•Gayatri Iyer is married to the award-winning Indian singer Kunal Ganjawala.
•Australian heartthrob Simon Gleeson won a Helpmann Award nomination for his part in Mamma Mia! and appeared in the Australian soap Neighbours.
•Simon Gleeson left NSW, Australia, to study acting at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in Perth.
•Since graduating in 1998 Simon Gleeson has performed in the musicals Les Miserables, Shout!, Fame!, Mamma Mia!, Harbour and the Republic of Myopia.
• Simon Gleeson previously worked under Gale Edwards' direction in the Australian musical Eureka.
•Award-winning singer and dancer Sophiya Haque was Rani in the West End musical Bombay Dreams, and was an MTV presenter.
•Sophiya Haque also worked with Indian megastars Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Jackie Shroff and with Amir Khan in his film The Rising.
•Sophiya Haque co-wrote a song with Tori Amos for the album Changes.
•Dianne Pilkington played the title role in Show White And The Seven Dwarves, opposite Lily Savage.
•Dianne Pilkington also performed with Rod Stewart in 2004.
•Dianne Pilkington performed with Boy George in a concert in London and starred in the original cast of Boy George's new musical Taboo.
•Kulvinder Ghir played in the TV comedy series Goodness Gracious Me, and in the films Bend It Like Beckham and Rita, Sue, and Bob Too.
•Kulvinder Ghir is also appearing in the British film Halal Harry.
•Veteran actor David Saville played in several episodes of the cult series Doctor Who and acted at the English Theatre in Vienna.
•Shakespearean actor David Burt appeared in several major musicals, including Evita, Les Misérables, Cats, and Jesus Christ Superstar.
•Ayesha Dharker, who played Meena's mother in Kabir's ANITA AND ME and starred in the blockbuster musical Bombay Dreams, turned down a part in THE FAR PAVILIONS.