Photo Flash: Devine, Ralph & Holliday Attend Opening of DREAMGIRLS at Ahmanson Theatre

Original "Dreamgirls" Loretta Devine, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jennifer Holliday were amongst the guests in attendance at the opening of the "Dreamgirls" production at the Ahmanson Theater on March 2. The show will play thru April 4.

A new, ground-breaking production of "Dreamgirls," directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom, arrives at the CTG/Ahmanson Theatre, opening March 2, 2010, and playing through April 4. With music by Academy Award nominee Henry Krieger, lyrics and book by Tony and Grammy Award winner Tom Eyen, and additional material by Willie Reale, "Dreamgirls" introduces actress Moya Angela as Effie White and features, as The Dreams, Syesha Mercado as Deena Jones, Adrienne Warren as Lorrell Robinson, and Margaret Hoffman as Michelle Morris with Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Curtis Taylor, Jr., Chester Gregory as James "Thunder" Early, Trevon Davis as C.C. White, Milton Craig Nealy as Marty Madison in a cast of 26 that also features Tallia Brinson, Felicia Boswell, Patrice Covington, Ronald Duncan, Talitha Farrow, Brittney Griffin, James Harkness, Robert Hartwell, Eric Jackson, Chauncey Jenkins, Jared Joseph, Nikki Kimbrough, Brittany Lewis, Douglas Lyons, Kimberly Marable, Jarran Muse, Amaker Smith and Marc Spaulding.

Co-choreography for "Dreamgirls" is by Shane Sparks, scenic design by Robin Wagner, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Acme Sound Partners, media design by Howard Werner for Lightswitch and is produced by John Breglio for Vienna Waits Productions. For more information, please visit www.dreamgirlsonstage.com.

"Dreamgirls" tells the rags-to-riches story of an up-and-coming 1960s singing girl group and the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune. The original Broadway production of "Dreamgirls" opened December 20, 1981, at the Imperial Theatre and won six 1982 Tony Awards. "Dreamgirls" closed on Broadway August 11, 1985, after 1,522 performances. The original Broadway production was directed by Michael Bennett and choreographed by Bennett and Michael Peters. "Dreamgirls" was adapted into a motion picture by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, and opened in December 2006.

For more information on "Dreamgirls" at the Ahmanson, visit http://www.centertheatregroup.org/

Photos by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging 2010