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According to the New York Post, the current West End production of Dreamgirls, directed and choreographed by Tony winner Casey Nicholaw (Aladdin, Something Rotten), could head to the Great White Way.
Reports say that West End producer Sonia Friedman intends to bring the production to Broadway as early as next season.
The cast of the London production includes “Glee” and “The Wiz Live!” star Amber Riley as Effie White, with Liisi LaFontaine (Deena), Ibinabo Jack (Lorrell), Joe Aaron Reid (Curtis Taylor Jr), Tyrone Huntley (C.C White), and Adam J. Bernard (Jimmy Early) rounding out the other principal roles. Marisha Wallace, a Nicholaw favorite cast as Effie in the Dallas Theater Center production of Dreamgirls last summer, serves as Effie alternate.
The West End premiere of Dreamgirls began previews at The Savoy Theatre in London on November 19, 2016, and officially opened on December 14 to rave reviews. Most recently the run extended through October 17, 2017.
Dreamgirls features music by Henry Krieger and a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen. The musical first premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre, officially opening on December 20 and then closing on August 11, 1985, after 1,521 performances.
The musical earned a total of 13 Tony Award nominations in 1982. It won 6 of them, including “Best Book of a Musical”, “Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical” (Jennifer Holliday), “Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical” (Ben Harney), “Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical” (Cleavant Derricks), “Best Lighting Design” (Tharon Musser) and “Best Choreography” (Michael Bennett and Michael Peters).
It’s been 30 years since the musical last appeared on Broadway, after a short-lived Broadway revival at the Ambassador Theatre in 1987 and two national tours. Not to mention, this production would surely make us feel a tad better about the Broadway Black Purge of 2016.
Still, we’re over the moon to head across the pond and check out the revival soon. Purchase tickets here if you can’t wait for the Broadway revival.
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