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Dreamgirls is a Broadway theatre musical theatre, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. It is based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, and particularly The Supremes, as the musical follows the story of a young Black female singing trio from Chicago called "The Dreams", who become music superstars.Grossberg, Michael . " 'Dreamgirls' continues to spark questions about its Motown inspiration". The Columbus Dispatch, March 6, 2015
Staged with a mostly African-American cast and originally starring Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine, Ben Harney, Cleavant Derricks, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Obba Babatundé, the musical opened on December 20, 1981, at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. The musical was then nominated for 13 Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical, and won six. It was later adapted into a motion picture from DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures in 2006, starring Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, and Keith Robinson.
A year later, Project #9 was brought back to the table, after catching the interest of Michael Bennett, then in the midst of his success with A Chorus Line. Ralph and Devine returned, and Bennett had Eyen, who was to direct, begin workshopping Big Dreams, as the musical was now known. Joining the cast at this time were Ben Harney, Obba Babatunde, Cleavant Derricks, and twenty-year-old gospel singer Jennifer Holliday as Carter's replacement (after Carter accepted an offer from NBC to star in Gimme a Break). However, Holliday left the project during the workshopping phase, as she disliked the material and was upset that her character, Effie White, died at the conclusion of the first act. Eyen, Bennett, and Krieger continued to iron out the story and songs. Cheryl Gaines and Phyllis Hyman were both considered as replacements for Holliday.
After two mildly successful workshops which included Jenifer Lewis as Effie, Holliday returned to the project, now known as Dreamgirls. However, she found Effie's role had been reduced significantly in favor of Sheryl Lee Ralph's Deena character, and Holliday eventually quit the project again. After acquiring funding from music industry mogul David Geffen and fellow co-financiers ABC Entertainment, Metromedia, and the Shubert family, Bennett called Holliday back and agreed to rewrite the show's second act and build up her character.Hill, Jeremy. "Pre-Broadway. Dreamgirls: Your Virtual Coffee Table Book of the Musical.
Gender and racial issues are represented in Dreamgirls being a black-cast musical with three female lead roles. Being set in the 1960s, the Black Power Movement was influential on the story line with black artists starting to succeed in the music industry and black music becoming accessible to all audiences, which is a representation of racial boundaries being broken down. The story is based on three women working their way up in the music industry to achieve their dreams while the most powerful people in the industry are men. In the end, the women stand up for their rights and become influential figures.
Curtis convinces James (Jimmy) "Thunder" Early, a popular R&B star, and his manager, Marty, to hire The Dreamettes as backup singers. Though Jimmy Early and the Dreamettes' first performance together is successful ("Fake Your Way to the Top"), Jimmy is desperate for new material. Curtis convinces Jimmy and Marty that they should venture beyond traditional rhythm and blues and Soul music audiences and aim for the pop market. C.C. composes "Cadillac Car" for Jimmy and the Dreamettes, who tour ("Cadillac Car (Reprise)") and record the single upon their return ("Cadillac Car (Second Reprise)"). "Cadillac Car" makes its way up the pop charts, but a cover version by white pop singers Dave and the Sweethearts ("Cadillac Car" (Third Reprise)) steals the original recording's thunder. Angered by "Cadillac Car"'s usurpation, Curtis, C.C., and Jimmy's producer, Wayne, resort to payola, bribing DJs across the nation to play Jimmy Early and the Dreamettes' next single, "Steppin' to the Bad Side". As a result, the record becomes a major pop hit.
Conflict arises between Marty and Curtis when Curtis moves in on Marty's turf, Jimmy Early. Curtis tries to convince Marty to change Jimmy's image and sound to appeal to the white audience and make Jimmy more successful, and suggests Jimmy play in Miami's Atlantic Hotel, a place that refuses to hire non-white performers; Marty rebuffs and tells Curtis to back off his client. Later, on Lorrell's 18th birthday party, Curtis, referring to himself as Jimmy's manager, calls the Atlantic Hotel's manager to discuss hiring Jimmy Early as a performer; at the same time, Effie and Curtis start a relationship, and Jimmy, a married man, starts an affair with Lorrell. Curtis then succeeds in getting Jimmy to perform in the Atlantic Hotel, which everyone celebrates ("Party, Party").
Strongly determined to make his Black singers household names, Curtis transforms Jimmy Early into a Perry Como-esque pop singer through his performance at the Atlantic Hotel with the Dreamettes ("I Want You Baby"), and later, concentrates on establishing the Dreamettes as their own act, renaming them The Dreams, changing their act to give them a more sophisticated and pop-friendly look and sound. The most crucial of these changes is the establishment of Deena as lead singer, instead of Effie. Effie is resentful of her change in status within the group. C.C. convinces her to go along with Curtis's plan ("Family"). After a fight between Marty and Curtis, Marty quits as Jimmy's manager and Curtis takes over. The Dreams make their club debut in the Crystal Room in Cleveland, singing their first single ("Dreamgirls"). After a triumphant show, the press is eager to meet the newly minted stars ("Press Conference"). Curtis declares to Deena, "I'm going to make you the most famous woman who's ever lived," as the slighted Effie asks "What about me?" ("Only the Beginning"). Over the next few years, the Dreams become a mainstream success with hit singles. As Deena is increasingly feted as a star and Curtis continuously fixates on her, Effie becomes temperamental and unpredictable, suspecting that Curtis and Deena may be having an affair. Effie and Deena quarrel, while Lorrell attempts to keep peace between her bandmates. As Effie continues to disrupt performances and squabble with Deena, Curtis steps in and scolds Effie, warning her to stop. ("Heavy" & "Heavy (Reprise)")
In 1967, the group – now known as "Deena Jones and the Dreams" – is set to make their Las Vegas debut, with Jimmy stopping by to see the girls ("Drivin' Down the Strip"). Jimmy learns from C.C. that Effie had been missing performances; Deena is convinced that she is trying to sabotage the act, while C.C. is convinced that she missed shows because of illness. Curtis replaces Effie with a new singer, Michelle Morris, a change which Effie learns before anyone has a chance to tell her. Effie confronts Curtis, C.C., and the group and tries to tell them that she is pregnant ("It's All Over"), but despite her personal appeal to Curtis ("And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"), the heartbroken Effie is left behind as Deena Jones and the Dreams forge ahead without her ("Love Love You Baby").
Deena and the Dreams and Jimmy perform at a National Democratic fundraiser, on a bill featuring such groups as The Five Tuxedos ("Got to Be Good Times"). While waiting backstage to go on, Jimmy finds himself arguing with Lorrell regarding the nature of their relationship and whether Jimmy will tell his wife about their affair and marry Lorrell ("Ain't No Party"). Lorrell is in tears as Jimmy takes to the stage to perform, and turns to Deena for support. As Jimmy pleads to Lorrell through his music ("I Meant You No Harm"), Deena tries to help Lorrell resolve her situation, and Michelle convinces the artistically frustrated C.C. to go find his sister and reconcile with her ("Quintette"). Midway through "I Meant You No Harm", Jimmy falls apart and decides that he "can't sing any more sad songs." Desperate to keep his set going, Jimmy launches into a wild, improvised funk number ("The Rap"), dropping his pants during the performance. An embarrassed Curtis fires Jimmy as soon as his set concludes ("Firing of Jimmy"). Lorrell ends her affair with Jimmy as well. The heartbroken Jimmy fades into obscurity, refusing to "beg" for Curtis' help.
Marty arranges for C.C. to meet and reconcile with Effie at a recording studio ("I Miss You, Old Friend"). C.C. apologizes for his role in handicapping her career, and Effie records C.C.'s "One Night Only" in its original ballad format. "One Night Only" begins climbing the charts, causing an enraged Curtis to rush-release Deena and the Dreams' cover version and use massive amounts of payola to push their version up the charts and Effie's version down. Deena and the Dreams' version of the song becomes a hit. Amidst their performance of the song in Los Angeles, Deena, Lorrell, and Michelle each think of their dreams, which diverge from their current status as musical performers, and inwardly express their desire to quit the music industry: Deena wants to become an actress, Lorrell wants to live her own life and move on from Jimmy, while Michelle wants to settle down with C.C. In the end, all three exclaim, "All of us got other things than singing on our minds." After the performance, film executives approach Deena and express their excitement for making Deena's first film; Curtis pulls her aside and refuses her to go through with the film as there is no music. Deena stays insistent, and as Curtis refuses further, Deena begs Curtis to let her star in the film, to which an angered possessive Curtis tells her that she is his wife and that she is not going anywhere without him ("One Night Only (Reprise)"). As Effie's recording of "One Night Only" descends the charts with Deena and the Dreams' version's ascent, Effie, C.C., and Marty discover Curtis's scheme and later, at a Dreams concert, confront him backstage, threatening legal action ("I'm Somebody" & "Faith in Myself"). As Curtis is forced to make arrangements with Effie's lawyer to reverse his wrongdoings, Effie and Deena reconcile, and Deena learns Effie was pregnant with Curtis's child before her firing from the group. Realizing the kind of man Curtis truly is, Deena finally finds the courage to leave him and live her own life. Effie's "One Night Only" becomes a number-one hit, as the Dreams break up so that Deena can pursue her movie career. At their farewell concert ("Hard to Say Goodbye, My Love"), Effie rejoins the group on stage for the final number, and all four Dreams sing their signature song one last time.
Act II
Scene 1: Las Vegas Hilton
Notes
The production received critical acclaim; in The New York Times, Frank Rich's review began "When Broadway history is being made, you can feel it."
Holliday's recording of Effie's solo "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" was a #1 single on the Billboard R&B charts in 1982. For the Dreamgirls original cast recording, the producers decided to present the intricately interwoven musical sequences as individual songs, cutting approximately half of the score. The cast recording won two Grammy awards, Best Musical Album and Best Vocal Performance for Jennifer Holliday's "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going".
A second international tour began in 1985, with Sharon Brown as Effie. By 1987, Lillias White, Jennifer Holliday's understudy in the first road production, came back to play the role in a Broadway revival at the Ambassador Theatre, which ran from June 28, 1987, to November 29, 1987, and was nominated for the 1988 Tony Award, Best Revival. " 'Dreamgirls' 1987" ibdb.com, retrieved October 3, 2017 By this time, Michael Bennett had fallen ill due to AIDS-related complications, and he died on July 2, 1987.
A US tour began in 1997 with direction and choreography by Tony Stevens, based on the original direction and choreography by Michael Bennett. The tour was set to open on Broadway in July 1998; however, it ultimately closed in Upstate New York while waiting for a Broadway theatre to become available. In 2004, another national tour began starring American Idol contestant Frenchie Davis, who gained praise for her role as Effie and Angela Robinson as Deena.
Another US tour began at the Apollo Theater, New York City in November 2009, with direction and choreography by Robert Longbottom, new scenic design by the original set designer Robin Wagner, and new costume designs by William Ivey Long.Dodds, Richard. 2010. "Master of the Silhouettes: "Dreamgirls" Costume Designer William Ivey Long," Bay Area Reporter ("Arts & Entertainment" section), Vol. 40. No. 33 (August 19, 2010), pp. 21, 32.Jones, Kenneth. "'Not Going' So Fast: Dreamgirls Extends by a Week at NYC's Apollo". playbill.com, November 17, 2009. American Idol alum Syesha Mercado starred as Deena, with Adrienne Warren as Lorrell, Moya Angela as Effie, Chester Gregory as Jimmy, and Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Curtis. This production included a new song for Deena and the Dreams at the top of Act II ("What Love Can Do"), as well as the song "Listen" from the film, which was re-written as a duet between Deena and Effie. In 2011 the creative team took the production to Montecasino, South Africa, with a local cast; however, it closed early.
Prior to Riley's departure, the production made a live cast recording of the show, which was released on May 12, 2017. The production closed on January 12, 2019.
| 1982 | Tony Award | Best Musical | ||
| Best Book of a Musical | Tom Eyen | |||
| Best Original Score | Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen | |||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Ben Harney | |||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Jennifer Holliday | |||
| Sheryl Lee Ralph | ||||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Cleavant Derricks | |||
| Obba Babatundé | ||||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Michael Bennett | |||
| Best Choreography | Michael Bennett and Michael Peters | |||
| Best Scenic Design | Robin Wagner | |||
| Best Costume Design | Theoni V. Aldredge | |||
| Best Lighting Design | Tharon Musser | |||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Musical | |||
| Outstanding Book of a Musical | Tom Eyen | |||
| Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Jennifer Holliday | |||
| Sheryl Lee Ralph | ||||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Cleavant Derricks | |||
| Ben Harney | ||||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Michael Bennett | |||
| Outstanding Lyrics | Tom Eyen | |||
| Outstanding Set Design | Robin Wagner | |||
| Outstanding Costume Design | Theoni V. Aldredge | |||
| Outstanding Lighting Design | Tharon Musser | |||
| 1983 | Grammy Award | Best Cast Show Album | Henry Krieger (composer), Tom Eyen (lyricist), David Foster (producer) | |
| Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | Jennifer Holliday ("And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going") | |||
| 1988 | Tony Award | Best Revival | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival | |||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Herbert L. Rawlings, Jr. | |||
| 2017 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best New Musical | ||
| Best Actress in a Musical | Amber Riley | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Musical | Adam J. Bernard | |||
| Best Costume Design | Gregg Barnes | |||
| Outstanding Achievement in Music | Henry Krieger | |||
| Evening Standard Theatre Award | Best Musical | |||
| Best Musical Performance | Amber Riley | |||
The film adaptation of Dreamgirls stars Jamie Foxx as Curtis, Beyoncé as Deena, Eddie Murphy as Jimmy, Danny Glover as Marty, Jennifer Hudson as Effie, Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell, and Keith Robinson as C.C.. Dreamgirls was first exhibited in special ten-day road show engagements beginning December 25, 2006. Subsequently, the film went into national release on December 25, 2006.McClintock, Pamela (November 6, 2006). "D'Works takes 'Girls' on road", Daily Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2006. Loretta Devine, who originated the Lorrell role, has a cameo role as a jazz singer in the film. Two other alumni of the Broadway production – Hinton Battle (a James "Thunder" Early replacement) and Yvette Cason (Charlene; Effie White understudy) – also appear. While much of the material remains the same as that of the stage musical, some of the stage musical's songs (most notably "Ain't No Party" and the Act II Opener) were removed, and four new songs were added. A number of changes were made to the story as well, including the additions of more overt references to The Supremes and Motown, the death of Jimmy (who is found dead on the road after a heroin overdose), and the relocation of the story's main setting from Chicago to Detroit. The film won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Best Sound Mixing.
To give the story more exposure for the upcoming film release, DreamWorks Pictures and the licensee of the original play, The Tams-Witmark Music Library, announced they would pay the licensing fees for all non-professional stage performances of Dreamgirls for the calendar year of 2006. DreamWorks hoped to encourage amateur productions of Dreamgirls, and familiarize a wider audience with the play. As a result, more than fifty high schools, colleges, community theaters, and other non-commercial theater entities staged productions of Dreamgirls in 2006, and DreamWorks spent up to $250,000 subsidizing the licensing.Olsen, Mark (December 12, 2006). "One stage of film's marketing is on stage", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 25, 2006.
Similarities between true life events and the plot of the musical include:
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