Dreamgirls 1981 - Articles Page 11

Before Jennifer Hudson gave Effie White life on the big screen, Jennifer Holliday was playing her on the Broadway stage. This summer, Holliday will return to DREAMGIRLS, playing the role at the Muny in St. Louis. She recently performed the DREAMGIRLS anthem 'And I'm Telling You' at the Apollo Theatre, and you can catch it by clicking below!

As BroadwayWorld reported earlier today, DREAMGIRLS' original Effie White, Jennifer Holliday, will return to the role for which she won a 1982 Tony Award this summer at the Muny in St. Louis. Take a look back at Holliday channeling DREAMGIRLS - all the way from her stellar 1982 Tony performance through a concert at the Apollo this month - below!

Before Jennifer Hudson gave Effie White life on the big screen, Jennifer Holliday was playing her on the Broadway stage. This summer, Holliday will return to DREAMGIRLS, playing the role at the Muny in St. Louis.

30 years ago today, Dreamgirls premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre. The production was directed by Michael Bennett, produced by Bennett, Bob Avian, Geffen Records, and The Shubert Organization, and choreographed by Bennett and Michael Peters. 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 Babatundé 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.

Before Jennifer Hudson gave Effie White life on the big screen, Jennifer Holliday was playing her on the Broadway stage. In the video below, Holliday chats with Wendy Williams about not being included in the film, and perfors 'And I'm Telling You (I'm Not Going).'

Dreamgirls, now onstage at Cumberland County Playhouse, is musical theater at its best, telling a universal story of a group of tremendously talented girls who grow into internationally known musical superstars, brought vividly to life onstage, filled with enough fiery theatrics and backstage drama to completely engage audiences and to deliver an emotional experience that is second to none.

A stellar group of theater artists from throughout Tennessee and the rest of the American South will join members of Cumberland County Playhouse's resident company for Dreamgirls, the Tony Award-winning stage musical that inspired the Academy Award-winning movie starring starring Beyonce, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson.

The Marriott Theatre, Chicago's longest running musical theatre announces its 2012 season. Kicking off the season will be what TIME MAGAZINE raves as 'One ELLE of a good show', LEGALLY BLONDE, previewing January 18th, opening January 25th, running through April 1st; the swashbuckling comedic opera THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, previewing April 4th, opening April 11th, running through June 10th; the World Premiere of HERO, a quirky new musical by Aaron Thielen and Michael Mahler, previews June 20th, opens June 27th, runs through August 19th; the show stopping, Six time Tony Award-winning DREAMGIRLS previewing August 22nd, opening August 29th, and running through November 4th, and closing out the year with the Tap Spectacular, MY ONE AND ONLY, previewing November 7th, opening November 14th, and running through January 13, 2013.

The Midtown International Theatre Festival presents Children of GOD, The Musical, a modern musical mash-up of inspiration for the next generation written by Charles B. Murray, IV.

The Midtown International Theatre Festival presents Children of GOD, The Musical, a modern musical mash-up of inspiration for the next generation written by Charles B. Murray, IV.

Bay Area Cabaret's season finale will star one of Broadway's greatest vocal talents, Lillias White. Returning this spring from Nigeria, where she will reprise her Tony-nominated role in FELA!, White is the winner of Broadway's 'Triple Crown' (a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award) for her role in Cy Coleman's The Life.

Bay Area Cabaret's season finale will star one of Broadway's greatest vocal talents, Lillias White.

On this very day in 1943, Michael DiFiglia was born in Buffalo, New York, and the world of Broadway would simply never be the same. Cutting his teeth with the accomplished choreography for A JOYFUL NOISE, PROMISES, PROMISES, SEESAW and COCO was merely the beginning of a career that would virtually rewrite and revolutionize the ways and means by which a director could yield ultimate control over a project. With COMPANY and FOLLIES, the later co-directing with Hal Prince, Bennett solidified himself as one of the most talented and brilliant choreographers of his generation and, shortly thereafter, proved with A CHORUS LINE that he was a master theatrical engineer with few, if any, peers. Worldwide success, Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize were just the gravy. Who else but Michael Bennett would then, or ever, receive - or should I say, earn - the credit "Entire Production Conceived, Produced and Directed by," besides him? While BALLROOM failed to live up to A CHORUS LINE in mostly every way, he soon after reinvented the wheel yet again with DREAMGIRLS in 1981. We never got to see his productions of CHESS and SCANDAL, both of which he was in the latter stages of developing at the time of his death in 1988. Broadway has never been the same since he's been gone. So, today, on the day following a glittering new production of COMPANY at Lincoln Center - with the complete dance sequence "Tick Tock" fully restored, now with five dancers - we take a tip of the top hat to the tops in taps, temerity and truthfulness onstage - the one and only Michael Bennett.

Three-time Tony Award-winning scenic designer ROBIN WAGNER and esteemed costume designer LEWIS BROWN are among the 2011 TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards recipients. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, April 8 at 6:30pm at the Hudson Theatre (145 West 44th Street). Mr. Brown was selected to receive the 2011 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for costume design, and Tony Award-winning scenic designer Robin Wagner will receive the Robert L.B. Tobin Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatrical Design. Sadly, Mr. Brown passed away in January of 2011. His award will be accepted by his long-time colleague and friend, Albert Wolsky, who was the recipient of the 2010 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award

Bay Area Cabaret's season finale will star one of Broadway's greatest vocal talents, Lillias White. Returning this spring from Nigeria, where she will reprise her Tony-nominated role in FELA!, White is the winner of Broadway's 'Triple Crown' (a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award) for her role in Cy Coleman's The Life.

Universally hailed as the reigning King of the Blues, the legendary B.B. King will perform three UK concerts in Manchester, Edinburgh and London in June 2011.

Three-time Tony Award-winning scenic designer ROBIN WAGNER and esteemed costume designer LEWIS BROWN are among the 2011 TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards recipients. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, April 8 at 6:30pm at the Hudson Theatre (145 West 44th Street). Mr. Brown was selected to receive the 2011 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for costume design, and Tony Award-winning scenic designer Robin Wagner will receive the Robert L.B. Tobin Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatrical Design. Sadly, Mr. Brown passed away in January of 2011. His award will be accepted by his long-time colleague and friend, Albert Wolsky, who was the recipient of the 2010 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award

The National Tour of DREAMGIRLS, which kicked off last fall at the Apollo Theatre in New York City, will conclude in Detroit after its run from December 21 through December 26, 2010.

The City of Cleveland Heights and Cain Park Theater Artistic Director Russ Borski announce that DREAMGIRLS will open Cain Park's 2011 season in the Alma Theater June 10-26 (preview June 9).

The New York Philharmonic will present Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking Company, with an all-star cast led by Neil Patrick Harris, star of the hit television series, How I Met Your Mother, on April 7-9, 2011. The award-winning musical will be produced and directed by Lonny Price, who directed and co-produced last season's SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert!, and will be conducted by Sondheim specialist Paul Gemignani, with the original orchestrations for a 35-piece orchestra by Jonathan Tunick. More details will be announced at a later date.

The show that revolutionized musical theatre is returning to Clowes Memorial Hall in Indianapolis for four performances only as a Broadway Across America - Indianapolis Special Presentation.

The show that revolutionized musical theatre is returning to Clowes Memorial Hall in Indianapolis for four performances only as a Broadway Across America - Indianapolis Special Presentation.

Producer John Breglio and Broadway Across America announced that tickets for the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS are now on sale as part of a Broadway Across America 10/11 Season Presentation

Producer John Breglio and Broadway Across America announced that tickets for the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS are now on sale as part of a Broadway Across America 10/11 Season Presentation

Now, in a sumptuously mounted revival touring the country, director/choreographer Robert Longbottom - who made his Broadway debut with Side Show, a musical of similar themes (again with music by Henry Krieger) that had the same visceral impact on me - has re-fashioned Dreamgirls for the new millennium, while remaining faithful to the original material. The result is musical theater at its best, telling a universal tale filled with onstage spectacle and backstage drama that is as stunning and as moving as the Broadway original.