Dreamgirls

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This is about the musical. For its movie adaptation, see Dreamgirls (film).

Dreamgirls
The cover for the second Playbill of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. The artwork for the original Playbill was also used as the cover of the Dreamgirls Original Broadway Cast album.
Music	Henry Krieger
Lyrics	Tom Eyen
Book	Tom Eyen
Based upon	Inspired by the history of Motown Records
Productions	1981 Broadway production 1983 National tour 1985 International Tour 1987 Broadway 1994 Atlanta production 1997 Chicago production 1997 National tour 1998 Berlin production 2001 Broadway concert 2002 Atlanta production 2007 Atlanta production
Awards	1982 Tony Award for Best Book

Dreamgirls is a Broadway musical, which opened on December 20, 1981 at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. Staged with mostly African-American performers, Dreamgirls won six Tony Awards in 1982. After four years and 1,522 performances, Dreamgirls closed on August 11, 1985.

Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as the The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others,^[1] Dreamgirls follows the story of a young female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called "The Dreams", who become music superstars. It features music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. The original Broadway production was directed by Michael Bennett, produced by Bennett, Bob Avian, Geffen Records, and The Shubert Organization, and choreographed by Bennett and Michael Peters. The original Broadway production, which won six Tony Awards, starred Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine, Ben Harney, Cleavant Derricks, Obba Babatunde, and Vondie Curtis-Hall.

The musical was adapted into a motion picture by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, and opened on December 15, 2006 (limited) and December 25, 2006 (wide). The feature film version of Dreamgirls stars Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles, Anika Noni Rose, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Keith Robinson, and Danny Glover.

[edit] Synopsis

[edit] Act I

The story begins in 1962, when The Dreamettes, a hopeful girl group from Chicago, enter the famous Amateur Night talent competition at the Apollo Theater in New York City ("I'm Lookin' for Something", "Goin' Downtown", "Takin' the Long Way Home"). The three girls include full-figured lead singer Effie White and her groupmates and best friends, Deena Jones and Lorrell Robinson. For the talent contest, the Dreamettes sing "Move (You're Steppin' on My Heart)", a song written by Effie's brother, C.C., who accompanies them to New York. Backstage, the girls and C.C. meet Curtis Taylor, Jr., a shady used-car salesman who becomes the Dreamettes' manager.

Curtis convinces James "Thunder" Early, a popular R&B star, and his manager, Marty, to take the Dreamettes on as backup singers. Although Jimmy Early & the Dreamettes' first performance together is successful ("Fake Your Way to the Top"), Jimmy is desperate for new material. The ambitious Curtis convinces Jimmy and Marty that they should venture beyond traditional R&B/soul audiences and aim for the pop market, so C.C. writes the song "Cadillac Car" for Jimmy & the Dreamettes. The single makes its way up the pop charts, but a cover version by white singers (Dave & the Sweethearts) steals the original recording's thunder.

Angered by "Cadillac Car's" failure, Curtis, Marty, and C.C. decide to resort to payola: they bribe DJs across the nation to play Jimmy Early & the Dreamettes' next single, "Steppin' to the Bad Side", and the record becomes a major pop hit. Conflict arises between Marty and Curtis when Curtis moves in on Marty's turf: Jimmy Early. Things become more complicated when lovesick Effie begins dating Curtis, and Jimmy, a married man, begins an affair with Lorrell ("Party, Party").

Marty eventually quits as Jimmy's manager and Curtis takes over, more power-driven than ever and strongly determined to make his black singers household names in white homes. Curtis begins to transform Jimmy Early into a Perry Como-esque pop singer ("I Want You Baby"), and concentrates on establishing the Dreamettes as their own act, renaming them The Dreams and 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 the more pop-friendly (and thinner) Deena as lead singer instead of the gospel-voiced (and heavier) Effie. Effie is resentful of being pushed out of the spotlight, although C.C. is able to convince her to go along with Curtis' plan ("Family").

The Dreams make their club debut in the Crystal Room in Cleveland, Ohio, singing their first single, "Dreamgirls". After a triumphant show, the press is eager to meet the newly minted stars ("Press Conference"). Curtis informs Deena that this is "Only the Beginning": "I'm going to make you the most famous woman who's ever lived," Curtis declares, as the slighted Effie quizzes "What about me?"

Over the next few years, the Dreams become a mainstream success with hit singles such as "Heavy." As Deena is increasingly feted as a star, Effie becomes temperamental and unpredictable, as she suspects Curtis and Deena of having an affair behind her back. Lorrell attempts to keep peace between her bandmates, but the task proves impossible. Effie soon begins missing shows because of illness (it is later revealed that she was pregnant with Curtis' child), and Curtis and Deena are convinced that Effie is attempting to sabotage the act. Curtis replaces Effie with a new singer, Michelle Morris, a change Effie learns about before anyone has a chance to tell her ("It's All Over"). A heartbroken Effie is left behind by Curtis, C.C., and the group ("And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"), and "Deena Jones & the Dreams," as the group is now to be known, forges ahead without her ("Love Love Me Baby").

[edit] Act II

The story moves five years ahead, into the early 1970s. Deena Jones & the Dreams have become the most successful female act in the country ("Act II Opening" ¹). Deena has married Curtis, and C.C. is in love with Michelle. Jimmy has become a washed-up has-been, and draws Curtis' ire by sneaking funk numbers into his repertoire of stiff, pop-friendly numbers. In addition, Jimmy is still dating Lorrell behind his wife's back. Meanwhile, Effie is back in Chicago, a single mother to her daughter Magic, and struggling to get another break. Marty, now her manager, compels her to rebuild her confidence and give up her diva attitude. After she does so, Effie is finally able to make a show business comeback ("I Am Changing").

In contrast to Effie's struggling to return to her musical career, Deena wants to stop singing and become an actress. Deena informs Curtis of such during a Vogue photo shoot ("One More Picture Please"), but Curtis refuses to let her go ("When I First Saw You"). Deena is not the only one chafing under Curtis' control: C.C. is enraged when Curtis rearranges his latest composition, an emotional ballad entitled "One Night Only", into a rhythm-heavy dance number for Deena & the Dreams. Curtis hopes to use the record to introduce a "new sound": disco, and informs tells C.C. that despite his protests, "you'll do what I tell you".

Deena Jones & the Dreams and Jimmy Early perform at a National Democratic fund raiser, on a bill alongside groups such as The Five Tuxedos ("Got to Be Good Times"). While waiting backstage to go on, Jimmy finds himself in another argument with Lorrell as to where their relationship is going and when, or if, Jimmy will tell his wife about their affair ("Ain't No Party"). Lorrell is in tears as Jimmy takes to the stage to perform "I Meant You No Harm", and turns to Deena for support. As Jimmy pleads to Lorrell through his music, Deena trys to help Lorrell figure through her situation, and Michelle convinces the bitter and frustrated C.C. to go find his sister and reconcile with her ("Quintette").

Mid-way through "I Meant You No Harm", Jimmy falls apart and decides that he "can't sing anymore sad songs". Desperate to keep his set going, Jimmy launches into a wild, improvised funk number ("The Rap") and drops his pants while performing. An embarrassed Curtis fires Jimmy as soon as the set is over, and Lorrell ends her affair with Jimmy. The heartbroken Jimmy fades away into obscurity, refusing to "crawl" or "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 not only rush-release Deena & the Dreams' version, but to use massive amounts of payola to push Deena's version up the charts and Effie's version down ("One Night Only (Disco)"). Effie, C.C., and Marty discover Curtis' scheme and confront him backstage at a Dreams concert, threatening legal action ("I'm Somebody", "Chicago"). As Curtis makes arrangements with Effie's lawyer to reverse his wrongdoings, Effie and Deena reconcile, and Deena finally finds the courage to leave Curtis 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 ("Hard to Say Goodbye, My Love"). For the last number of the Dreams' farewell concert, Effie rejoins the group on stage, and all four Dreams sing their signature song - "Dreamgirls" - one last time.

[edit] Notes

• ¹ The original Act II opening was a medley reprising the songs "Dreamgirls", "Move (You're Steppin' on My Heart", "Love Love Me Baby", "Heavy", and "Caddilac Car", performed by Deena Jones & the Dreams, followed by most of the company participating in a reprise of "Press Conference". When the musical's national tour began in 1983, the Act II opening was changed to consist of a reprise of "Dreamgirls", and the performance of a new song, "Step on Over".

[edit] History

Jennifer Holliday, who originated the role of Effie White, gave an acclaimed stage performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" for the 1982 Tony Awards ceremony, where she won Best Lead Actress in a Musical.

[edit] Original Broadway production

Dreamgirls had its beginnings as a project for Nell Carter. Playwright Tom Eyen and composer Henry Krieger first worked together on the 1975 musical version of Eyen's play The Dirtiest Show in Town. Carter appeared in the musical, and her performance inspired Eyen and Krieger to craft a musical about Black back-up singers, which was given the working title of Project #9. Project #9 was workshopped for Joe Papp; Carter was joined at this time by Sheryl Lee Ralph and Loretta Devine, who were to play her groupmates. The project was shelved after Carter departed to appear in the soap opera Ryan's Hope in 1978.

A year later, Project #9 was brought back to the table, after catching the interest of successful Broadway director/producer/choreograher Michael Bennett. 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 that included actressJenifer Lewis as Effie. Holliday returned to the project, now known as Dreamgirls. However, she found that the Effie character'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.^[2]

The original Broadway production of Dreamgirls was staged at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. It starred Sheryl Lee Ralph as Deena Jones, Jennifer Holliday as Effie White, Loretta Devine as Lorrell Robinson, Ben Harney as Curtis Taylor, Jr., Cleavant Derricks as James "Thunder" Early, and Obba Babatunde as C. C. White. Dreamgirls proved to be a star-making vehicle for several of its performers, particularly Holliday, whose performance as Effie received significant praise.

Dreamgirls was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical, and eventually won six: Best Book of a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Ben Harney), Best Actress in a Musical (Jennifer Holliday), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Cleavant Derricks), Best Lighting Design (Tharon Musser), and Best Choreography (Michael Bennett & Michael Peters).^[3] Holliday's recording of Effie's solo "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" was a Top 30 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982. For the Dreamgirls original cast recording, the producers decided to present the complex musical sequences as individual songs, cutting approximately half of the score.

Phylicia Rashad (then known as Phylicia Ayers-Allen), later famous as Bill Cosby's TV wife on The Cosby Show, was a member of the musical's company. Rashad was also Sheryl Lee Ralph's understudy; but when Ralph left the production, Rashad was not offered her role, and subsequently left the cast.

[edit] Dreamgirls "On the Road" and Broadway revival

Michael Bennett took Dreamgirls on an abbreviated national tour in 1983, with Jennifer Holliday remaining as Effie, but with Larry Riley, Linda Leilani Brown, Arnetia Walker, Lawrence Clayton, and Cleavant Derricks' twin brother Clinton Derricks-Carroll as her co-stars. Because of high costs, only three shows were played before the road production was dissolved. A second tour began in 1985, with Sharon Brown as Effie. By 1987, Lillias White, Jennifer Holliday's original understudy, had taken over the role, and the tour ended with a Broadway revival at the Ambassador Theatre. By this time, Michael Bennett had fallen ill due to AIDS-related complications, and he died on July 2, 1987.

After its success on Broadway, Dreamgirls has been frequently produced and presented. A 2001 Broadway concert performance starring Lillias White, Audra McDonald, Heather Headley, Billy Porter and Norm Lewis was recorded and released in its entirety on CD. During the early 2000s, American Idol contestant Frenchie Davis gained praise for her role as Effie in several productions of Dreamgirls. In late 2005 and early 2006, the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia produced a critically acclaimed revival of the show which extended for over three months. The production team included director Richard Parison, music director Jesse Vargas, and choreographer Mercedes Ellington. The production was courted by several Broadway and commercial producers. Composer Henry Krieger was said to have praised the revival as the most authentic since the original Broadway production.

[edit] The Dreams and The Supremes

The basic plot of Dreamgirls is derived from the history of The Supremes, a girl-group from Detroit, Michigan, which was Motown's most successful group act during the 1960s.^[4] Effie White is a doppelgänger for Florence Ballard, original lead singer of the Supremes; the character's vocal stylings and personality are based upon Aretha Franklin and Etta James. Diana Ross, who became the central focus of the Supremes and later left the group to pursue a solo career and a brief venture into films, is here adapted into the character of Deena Jones. Supremes member Mary Wilson is represented by Lorrell Robinson. Curtis Taylor, Jr., represents Berry Gordy, Jr., the founder of Motown, who pushed the Supremes towards pop success and became romantically involved with Ross. James "Thunder" Early is depicted as a cross between James Brown, Little Richard, Marvin Gaye, and Jackie Wilson. C. C. White is a collective representative for The Supremes' songwriters, who included the Holland-Dozier-Holland team and Smokey Robinson. Michelle Morris is representative of Cindy Birdsong, Florence Ballard's replacement in The Supremes, which was renamed "Diana Ross & the Supremes" at the time of that line-up change.

Dreamgirls is most dissimilar from The Supremes' story in its second act, which ends with Effie finding success as a solo performer. In real life, Florence Ballard's solo career was unsuccessful and the singer sank into poverty, depression, and alcoholism, dying of cardiac arrest at the age of thirty-two in 1976, just after her career had been revived. The play also shows inspiration from the 1976 feature film Sparkle, which itself was inspired by The Supremes' story.

Michael Bennett, Henry Krieger, Tom Eyen, and the Dreamgirls producers denied and downplayed the connections between the musical's plot and the Supremes' life story, hoping to avoid legal issues from Motown Records and Diana Ross. Mary Wilson loved Dreamgirls, and even named her first autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, after it. Diana Ross, however, was reportedly angered by the musical, and expressed her dislike of it in the media. Though the Deena character mirrors Diana Ross, Sheryl Lee Ralph stands to the fact that she was not trying to imitate Ross, but portrayed Deena in a similar yet distinct style.

[edit] Film adaptation

Main article: Dreamgirls (film)

David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records and one of the play's financiers, leased the Dreamgirls film rights to Warner Bros. in the 1980s through his Geffen Pictures company. Although the film was announced several times, with singers such as Whitney Houston (as Deena), Lauryn Hill (another Deena candidate), and Kelly Price (as Effie), the studio eventually abandoned the project.^[5] Geffen eventually leased the rights to DreamWorks SKG, a company he co-founded, and Paramount Pictures. Laurence Mark produced an adaptation of Dreamgirls for DreamWorks and Paramount, written and directed by Bill Condon, who had earned an Oscar nomination for his screenplay adaptation of Chicago.

The film adaptation of Dreamgirls stars Jennifer Hudson as Effie White, Beyoncé Knowles as Deena Jones, and Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell Robinson. Also appearing in the film adaptation are Jamie Foxx as Curtis Taylor, Jr., Eddie Murphy as James "Thunder" Early, Danny Glover as Marty, Sharon Leal as Michelle Morris, and Keith Robinson as C.C. White. Dreamgirls was first exhibited in special ten-day road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006. Subsequently, the film went into national release on December 25, 2006.^[6] The original Lorrell Robinson (Loretta Devine) has a cameo role as a jazz singer in this film adaptation. 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") 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, and the relocation of the story's main setting from Chicago to Detroit.

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 that 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. ^[7]

[edit] Opening night cast

• Jennifer Holliday - Effie White
• Sheryl Lee Ralph - Deena Jones
• Loretta Devine - Lorrell Robinson
• Ben Harney - Curtis Taylor, Jr.
• Cleavant Derricks - James "Thunder" Early
• Obba Babatundé - C.C. White
• Deborah Burrell - Michelle Morris
• Vondie Curtis-Hall - Marty
• Tony Franklin - Wayne

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] Tony Awards

Wins:

• Best Book of a Musical (Tom Eyen)
• Best Lead Actor in a Musical (Ben Harney)
• Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Jennifer Holliday)
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Cleavant Derricks)
• Best Choreography (Michael Bennett & Michael Peters)
• Best Lighting Design (Tharon Musser)

Nominations:

• Best Musical
• Best Director of a Musical (Michael Bennett)
• Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Sheryl Lee Ralph)
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Obba Babatunde)
• Best Score of a Musical (Henry Krieger & Tom Eyen)
• Best Scenic Design (Robin Wagner)
• Best Costume Design (Theoni V. Aldredge)

[edit] Drama Desk Awards

Wins:

• Best Book of a Musical (Tom Eyen)
• Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Jennifer Holliday)
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Cleavant Derricks)
• Best Lighting Design (Tharon Musser)
• Best Scenic Design (Robin Wagner)

Nominations:

• Best Musical
• Best Director of a Musical (Michael Bennett)
• Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Sheryl Lee Ralph)
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ben Harney)
• Best Lyrics (Tom Eyen)
• Best Costume Design (Theoni V. Aldredge)

[edit] Grammy Awards

• Best Cast Show Album - Winner
• Best Female Performance, R&B (Jennifer Holliday - "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going") - Winner

[edit] Sample

[edit] See also

• Dreamgirls (Original Broadway Cast Album)
• Dreamgirls (2006 film adaptation)
• Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture
• Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme, the 1986 autobiography of former Supremes member Mary Wilson

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Hill, Jeremy. Dreamgirls: Your Virtual Coffee Table Book of the Musical. Retrieved from http://www.graiai.com/dreamgirls/ on November 10, 2006.

[edit] External links

• Dreamgirls at the Internet Broadway Database
• Dreamgirls: Your virtual coffee table book of the musical
• Dreamgirls audition advice & show information from MusicalTheatreAudition.com
• FlyRope page on Dreamgirls
• Dreamgirls fan blog