Dreamgirls (musical)
| Musical dates | |
|---|---|
| Original title: | Dream girls |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Henry Krieger |
| Book: | Tom Eyen |
| Lyrics: | Tom Eyen |
| Premiere: | December 20, 1981 |
| Place of premiere: | Imperial Theater , New York City |
| Place and time of the action: | USA, 1960s & 1970s |
| Roles / people | |
& Ensemble |
|
Dreamgirls is a two-act musical by Henry Krieger (music) and Tom Eyen (lyrics and libretto ). It premiered on New York's Broadway in the Imperial Theater on December 20, 1981 , and after several years of playing it has seen numerous revivals and touring productions in various countries.
The piece is about the young singing trio "The Dreams" from Chicago, who are becoming superstars. The story was inspired by soul / R&B acts like The Supremes , The Shirelles and the like.
In 1982 the piece was nominated for 13 Tony Awards , 6 of which were won. At the Drama Desk Awards 1982 the play won 5 awards from 11 nominations. A year later (1983) the cast album won two Grammy Awards . In 2006 the musical was filmed under the same title (see Dreamgirls ).
action
- Act 1 (1960s)
In 1962, a young, black vocal trio from Chicago named "The Dreamettes" performed at the Talent Night for Amateurs at New York's Apollo Theater . The group consists of Effie White and her best friends Deena Jones and Lorrell Robinson. They lose the competition, but backstage the three and Effie's brother CC, who wrote the title for the competition, meet Curtis Taylor Jr., who is actually a car salesman but becomes the manager of the young group.
Curtis convinces the popular rhythm and blues singer James “Thunder” Early and his manager Marty Madison to hire the Dreamettes as a choir. The first joint appearance of James Early and the Dreamettes is an immediate success. Since James is looking for new material and Curtis convinces him and Marty not only to sing rhythm & blues and soul, but also to address the market for pop music, CC writes a new title with which James and the Dreamettes appear and which they ultimately also in Record a recording studio and publish it on vinyl. The title lands in the charts, but a cover version of the white singers "Dave and the Sweethearts" steals the show a little from the original. But the next title will be a huge hit. At the same time the first conflicts between Marty and Curtis arise and the situation gets even more complicated when Effie and Curtis get closer and the married James starts an affair with Lorrell.
As a result, Curtis tries to re-establish James as a single singer and concentrates entirely on making the Dreamettes an independent, successful number. In the course of this, the Dreamettes are renamed "The Dreams" and Deena is now the lead singer instead of Effie. Effie is offended, but continues anyway, while Marty leaves James' manager after an argument with Curtis, whereupon Curtis takes over. After their debut appearance with their first own single was a triumphant success, the press raged for the Dreams. Curtis promises Deena that she will be the most famous woman who ever lived, which Effie deeply hurts again.
Over the next few years, the Dreams became a huge success and they landed one hit after the next. While Deena is being hailed as a star, Effie feels more and more set back and becomes more and more moody. Eventually, Effie even suspects Curtis and Deena of having an affair. Lorrell tries to mediate between her colleagues, but this is not very successful.
In 1967 the group, which is now called "Deena Jones and the Dreams", is about to make its debut in Las Vegas. While visiting his former colleagues, James learns that Effie has missed numerous shows because she was sick. It is later revealed that she is pregnant with Curtis, but Curtis and Deena are convinced that she is trying to sabotage the group. Therefore Curtis replaces Effie with the new singer Michelle Morris. Upon finding out, Effie confronts Curtis, CC, and the group, but eventually the group goes on their way, while Effie is unhappy.
- Act 2 (1970s)
It is now 1972: “Deena Jones and the Dreams” has become the most successful group in the country, Deena married Curtis and CC is in a relationship with the new singer Michelle. James, on the other hand, hasn't had a hit in years. Curtis loses interest in him as he is fully occupied with his more successful act and James tries more and more often to sing funk songs that do not fit into Curtis' concept. Effie now lives as a single mother in her hometown Chicago again and now has Marty as her manager, who tries to rebuild her self-confidence and get her to abandon her diva-like behavior, which ultimately resulted from disappointment. Eventually Effie fights her way back on stage and makes a comeback. Meanwhile, Deena wants to leave the Dreams and become an actress. When she tells Curtis of her wish, Curtis refuses to let her go. CC also clashes with Curtis because he is constantly rearranging his songs.
When Deena and the Dreams and James are due to perform together at an event, James and Lorrell discuss their relationship backstage and whether James will finally tell his wife the truth. When James goes on stage, Lorrell is in tears. Meanwhile, Michelle tries to convince CC to find his sister and to be reconciled with her again. Suddenly there is a scandal: James breaks off his performance and says that he can no longer sing sad songs. He begins to sing an improvised funk number and suddenly pulls his pants down in the middle of the stage. Thereupon he is immediately fired by Curtis and Lorrell also ends her relationship with him.
Marty arranges a meeting between CC and his sister Effie, at which the two speak up and CC apologizes to her. Effie then recorded a ballad by CC, which Curtis had rewritten for the Dreams into a disco number, in the original version. As this title keeps climbing up the charts, the angry Curtis tries to push the version of Dreams by bribing radio stations and to harm Effie's version. When Effie, CC and Marty see through this, they confront Curtis and threaten him with legal action, whereupon Curtis gives in. Finally, Effie and Deena speak out and end their differences. When Deena learns that Effie's child is from Curtis, she realizes what kind of man Curtis really is and separates from him in order to lead her own life. Effie's ballad was a huge success and ended up at number 1 on the charts. The Dreams decide to split up so Deena can start her film career. For the Dreams farewell concert, Effie appears with them and so the four of them end the long, successful career of the Dreams with one last acclaimed performance.
music
- Act 1
- I'm Lookin 'for Something - The Stepp Sisters, Marty and Ensemble
- Goin 'Downtown - Little Albert & the Tru-Tones
- Takin 'the Long Way Home - Tiny Joe Dixon
- Move (You're Steppin 'on My Heart) - Effie, Deena and Lorrell
- Fake Your Way to the Top - Jimmy, Effie, Deena and Lorrell
- Cadillac Car - Curtis, Jimmy, CC and Marty, Effie, Deena and Lorrell
- Cadillac Car (On the Road) - Ensemble
- Cadillac Car (In the Recording Studio) - Jimmy, Effie, Deena and Lorrell
- Cadillac Car (Reprise) - Dave and the Sweethearts
- Steppin 'to the Bad Side - Curtis, Jimmy, CC, Wayne, Lorrell, Effie, Deena and Ensemble
- Party, Party - Effie, Curtis, Jimmy, Lorrell and Ensemble
- I Want You Baby - Jimmy, Effie, Deena and Lorrell
- Family - Effie, CC, Jimmy, Lorrell, Curtis and Deena
- Dreamgirls - Deena, Lorrell and Effie
- Press Conference - Deena, Curtis and Company
- Only the Beginning - Curtis and Effie
- Heavy / Stop Bringing Us Down - Deena, Lorrell, Effie and Curtis
- Drivin 'Down the Strip - Jimmy
- It's All Over - Effie, Curtis, CC, Deena, Lorrell, Jimmy and Michelle
- And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going - Effie
- Love Love Me Baby - Deena, Lorrell and Michelle
- Act 2
- Act II Opening 1 - Deena, Lorrell, Michelle, Curtis, CC and Jimmy
- I Am Changing - Effie
- One More Picture Please - Company, Lorrell, Michelle, CC and Curtis
- When I First Saw You - Curtis and Deena
- Got to Be Good Times - The Five Tuxedos
- Ain't No Party - Lorrell and Jimmy
- I Meant You No Harm - Jimmy
- Quintets - Lorrell, Deena, CC, Michelle and Jimmy
- The Rap - Jimmy
- Firing of Jimmy - Jimmy, Curtis, Lorrell and Ensemble
- I Miss You Old Friend - Les Styles, Marty, CC and Effie
- One Night Only - Effie and Ensemble
- One Night Only (Disco) - Deena, Lorrell, Michelle, Curtis and Ensemble
- I'm Somebody - Deena, Lorrell and Michelle
- Chicago / Faith in Myself - Effie, CC, Curtis, Deena and Marty
- Lists 2 - Deena and Effie
- Hard to Say Goodbye, My Love - Deena, Lorrell and Michelle
- Dreamgirls (Reprise) - Effie, Deena, Lorrell and Michelle
Remarks:
- 1 The original opening for act two was a medley of "Dreamgirls", "Move (You're Steppin 'on My Heart)", "Love Love Me Baby", "Family", "Heavy" and "Cadillac Car", the was sung by Deena and the Dreams, whereupon a large part of the ensemble came over to sing a reprise of "Press Conference". With the beginning of the US tour in 1983, the opening for the second act was changed and consisted from now on of a reprise of "Dreamgirls" and the new title "Step on Over". With the new US tour in 2009 another change took place and from now on the opening of the second act consists of the new title “What Love Can Do” and “Step on Over”.
- 2 “Listen” originally comes from the film adaptation of the musical from 2006, but has also been an integral part of the stage version since the US tour in 2009.
Performances (selection)
- December 20, 1981 - August 11, 1985: Imperial Theater , New York City (1,521 performances)
- 1983–1987: US tour
- June 28, 1987 - November 29, 1987: Ambassador Theater, New York City
- September 30, 1997 - May 3, 1998: US tour
- 2005–2006: Prince Music Theater, Philadelphia
- December 14, 2009 (previews from November 7, 2009) - December 26, 2010: US tour
- since December 14, 2016 (previews from November 19, 2016): Savoy Theater , London
and numerous other productions in the USA and other countries.
Occupations
An overview of the cast of the main roles in the most important productions:
| role | 1981 Broadway | 1983 US tour | 2009 US tour | 2016 London premiere |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effie Melody White | Jennifer Holliday | Moya Angela | Amber Riley | |
| Deena Jones | Sheryl Lee Ralph | Linda Leilani Brown | Syesha Mercado | Liisi LaFontaine |
| Lorrell Robinson | Loretta Devine | Arnetia Walker | Adrienne Warren | Ibinabo Jack |
| Curtis Taylor, Jr. | Ben Harney | Larry Riley | Chaz Lamar Shepherd | Joe Aaron Reid |
| James "Thunder" Early | Cleavant Derricks | Clinton Derricks-Carroll | Chester Gregory | Adam J. Bernard |
| CC White | Obba Babatundé | Lawrence Clayton | Trevon Davis | Tyrone Huntley |
| Michelle Morris | Deborah Burrell | Margaret Hoffman | Lily Frazer | |
| Marty Madison | By Curtis-Hall | Weyman Thompson | Milton Craig Nealy | Nicholas Bailey |
| Wayne | Tony Franklin | Maurice Fields | Terrance Lemar Thomas | |
| Effie Understudy / Alternate | Sheila Ellis | Roz Ryan | Patrice Covington | Marisha Wallace Karen Mav |
| Deena Understudy | Phylicia Rashad | Deborah Burrell | Lily Fraser Kimmy Edwards |
|
| Lorrell Understudy | Cheryl Alexander | Susan Beaubian | Candace Furbert Jocasta Algmill Carly Mercedes Dyer |
|
Sound carrier
- 1982: Dreamgirls - Original Broadway Cast Album (Label: Verve)
- 2017: Dreamgirls - Original London Cast Recording (Label: Masterworks Broadway)
Web links
- Dreamgirls in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- Dreamgirls in the Guide to Musical Theater (English)
- Dreamgirls on Musical Heaven