Broadway Blog - DREAMGIRLS Review Roundup

The national tour of Dreamgirls premieres at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater (253 West 125 Street), previews began Saturday, November 7, 2009, and opens Sunday, November 22, 2009, for 5 weeks only, through December, 12, 2009. Dreamgirls will be a highlight of the Apollo Theater's 75th Anniversary celebration in 2009. The national tour has announced a series of cities and dates where the musical will visit, the current listing can be found by clicking here.

David Rooney, Variety: "There's bad news and good about the much-anticipated revival of "Dreamgirls," kicking off, like the action of the show itself, on the storied stage of Harlem's Apollo Theater before a national tour. Cultists of the 1981 musical about an African-American girl group's rise to success might have been hoping for a Broadway-caliber production that would demand a midtown New York return. In most ways that count, this staging falls short of that wish. But as a road property, it's top-tier, packaged to travel and stuffed with vocal talent that does justIce To Henry Krieger's sensational songs and helps compensate for stiff acting and a shortage of emotional clout."

Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press: "Dreamgirls has come home with its glitter, glitz and gusto mostly intact."

Ben Brantley, The New York Times: "Audiences who attend this bluntly drawn, pastels-saturated production, which runs though Dec. 12 prior to a national tour, should feel at least a demi-shiver of the excitement generated by "Dreamgirls" when it first hit town nearly 28 years ago. Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger's portrayal of takin' care of business, Motown style, has a fine-tuned, score-propelled motor that just naturally purrs and roars."

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: "Bottom Line: While not entirely a dream, this touring revival of the 1981 musical should score big on the road."

David Sheward, Backstage: "National tours are often viewed as knockoffs of Broadway originals. The limited run of "Dreamgirls" at the Apollo Theatre may be the first stop of a national tour, but this electric revival is anything but second-rate."

More Reviews to Come...