Has dreamgirls been confirmed?

[Sushilover]

or just rumor?

[BroadwayConcierge]

Confirmed? Not yet. Likely coming? Yes. 

[Cfried]

It hasn't been confirmed by producers at this point although according to Equity casting notices, it will open next spring.

[qolbinau]

Dreamgirls: 2018 Broadway Revival starring Amber Riley's understudy. 

[RippedMan]

Everything I've seen of this show has been awful. Bad cast recording, that West End Live performance was terrible. No acting, the singing was off, etc. I just hope they can get some people who can actually act and sing over on Broadway. That cast recording is tough to get through. Riley is great, but her understudy was not so great.

[Dancingthrulife2]

I actually hated it when I saw it in London. The direction is HORRIBLE and even Riley's belting cannot save think sunk ship. It has little to none dramatic tension although this is not the case in the movie version. I was under the impression that it would be another Color Purple but it turned out to be a much more boring, insipid Beautiful.

[Dancingthrulife2]

I actually hated it when I saw it in London. The direction is HORRIBLE and even Riley's belting cannot save think sunk ship. It has little to none dramatic tension although this is not the case in the movie version. I was under the impression that it would be another Color Purple but it turned out to be a much more boring, insipid Beautiful.

[GeorgeandDot]

I know five people that all saw the show on separate occasions and they all loathed it.  Aside from Riley's performance, everything that I've heard about it has been negative.  It wouldn't be smart for them to transfer in such a revival heavy season.

[ggersten]

Well, opinions do vary.  I have not seen the London staging.  But, my spouse loved the London staging and she had Marisha Wallace as Effie.  She'd never seen the stage show - but was fairly familiar by my constant playing of the The Actor's Fund concert and a few viewings of the film   

[qolbinau]

Apparently Amber is down to 5/8 scheduled performances now. Wow!

[wolfwriter]

ggersten said: "...she had Marisha Wallace as Effie...."

I read this quickly as..... 'Marcia Wallace' as Effie. If you know who the very funny Marcia Wallace was, you can imagine my momentary, horrifying & funny visual.

 

"

 

[Call_me_jorge]

qolbinau said: "Apparently Amber is down to 5/8 scheduled performances now. Wow!

 

"

That seems pretty pathetic. I know she's not used to the 8 show schedule, but it's not like it's a terribly difficult sing.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

I wouldn't say that. "And I Am Telling You" and "I Am Changing" must be grueling on a two show day. I'd say the role is at the very least Eva Peron worthy - 6 performances a week with an alternate doing the matinees. That being said, I wonder what Holliday and Lillian White think of her attendance record.

[BdwayLife]

dancingthrulife, sent you a PM.

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Wallace is a solid Effie:  Saw her in a Dallas Theatre Center production of Dreamgirls just before she was cast as a West End understudy.  Her acting is rooted, her voice strong and healthy.  Honestly, she sells the show better than Riley, but she's just not a sellable 'name'

I just worry about her oversinging during the PR events.  In the realm of the show, she's brilliant, but when I've seen her do public events, something feels off.  She sharps a lot.  She yells it too much.

Riley has the voice, but she's dead behind the eyes to me.  No fire.  No passion.  No Effie.

[seaweedjstubbs]

Call_me_jorge said: "qolbinau said: "Apparently Amber is down to 5/8 scheduled performances now. Wow!

 

"

That seems pretty pathetic. I know she's not used to the 8 show schedule, but it's not like it's a terribly difficult sing.

 

"

In what world is Effie not a difficult role to sing?

[ljay889]

Jorge, really!???

[Valentina3]

Call_me_jorge said: "qolbinau said: "Apparently Amber is down to 5/8 scheduled performances now. Wow!"

That seems pretty pathetic. I know she's not used to the 8 show schedule, but it's not like it's a terribly difficult sing."

 

Huh?

[DramaTeach]

Saw this with Wallace while Riley was out with the flu.  Heard so many raves and went in with high expectations.  It and she were good, but it doesn't need to transfer.  I wasn't blown away.

[ACL2006]

The most recent US tour of this was terrible and the tour was cut short due to poor sales. I can't imagine this doing well without a name. And it won't do well if Riley opts to only do 5 shows/week.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Call_me_jorge said: "it's not like it's a terribly difficult sing."

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Dreamgirls is one of those lightning in a bottle shows:  They were incredibly lucky to find Holliday as a replacement for Nell Carter.  Her expressive voice and the dynamic in which she could sing made her Effie something that no other singer has quite captured again.  It was raw.  

Lillias White was close.  She had a more metered approach to the vocal, but it was almost equally as exciting to listen to.  Her vocal runs were different.  She really made the role her own.

[RippedMan]

I think that's just a product of our times. We aren't churning out interesting types, it's all stock characters. She's a big black girl who can belt and riff, so of course she's an Effie type. Doesn't matter if she's got about as much range as Raven Simone. And Casey is the total wrong director for this. It isn't musical comedy. I'd love to see what Timbers could do with it. Make it his own and come from a different approach. I don't understand the point of all these revivals where we just recreate the original stagings. Times have changed, design has changed, stagecraft has changed.

Is the West End open ended? Or when is Riley done?

[ChildofEarth]

I saw it when I was on business and I can't say I was impressed. The story has never been my favorite and though Riley may have one of the best voices of her generation (surpassed by Erivo, though) her acting is about as wooden as a boardwalk. 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

RippedMan said: "Is the West End open ended?"

The West End production is currently booking until February.