Dreamgirls - 1981 - Broadway Articles Page 16

Bay Street Theatre will present the World Premiere of a musical as the third production of the 2012 Mainstage Season. Tony Award winner Lillias White will play Maybelle Smith in BIG MAYBELLE: SOUL OF THE BLUES, written and directed by Paul Levine. The show runs Tuesday, August 7 through Sunday, September 2.

David Geffen's far-reaching influence - as agent, manager, record industry mogul, Hollywood and Broadway producer, and philanthropist - has helped shape American popular culture for the past four decades.

This summer, original 'Effie,' Jennifer Holliday will return to DREAMGIRLS, playing the role at the MUNY in St. Louis. According the the MUNY's official website, Milton Craig Nealy will star as Jimmy, alongside previously announced Demetria McKinney as Deena, Jenelle Lynn Randall as Lorrell, Muny veteran Ken Page as Marty, Christopher Jackson as Curtis, Karla Mosely as Michelle, and Tommar Wilson as C.C.

Today in 1987, the FIRST Broadway revival of Dreamgirls opened at the Ambassador Theatre, where it ran for 177 performances. Dreamgirls features music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called 'The Dreams', who become music superstars. The musical opened on December 20, 1981 at the Imperial Theatre, and was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical, and won six. It was later adapted into a motion picture from DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures in 2006. The 1987 cast featured Lillias White as 'Effie.'

This summer, original 'Effie,' Jennifer Holliday will return to DREAMGIRLS, playing the role at the Muny in St. Louis. According the the MUNY's official website, she will be joined by Demetria McKinney as Deena, Jenelle Lynn Randall as Lorrell, Muny veteran Ken Page as Marty, Christopher Jackson as Curtis, Karla Mosely as Michelle, and Tommar Wilson as C.C.

A Chorus Line, the powerful and emotion-filled musical about the trials and tribulations of forging a life in the theater, will play in Pittsburgh tonight, June 15 through June 24 at the Benedum Center. Directed and choreographed by original A Chorus Line cast member Baayork Lee, this bona fide Broadway hit features an incredible ensemble cast composed of exciting Broadway stars and Pittsburgh CLO veterans.

As BroadwayWorld first reported in March, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will produce, in association with La Jolla Playhouse, a re-imagining of Henry Krieger and Bill Russell's Side Show.

Chris Isaacson Presents and Upright Cabaret proudly present Broadway diva Lillias White: The Night After The Tonys, as she belts out the best of Broadway and Jazz, at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, for one performance only, tonight, June 11. Showtime is 8pm, with cocktail and dinner service beginning at 6:30pm.

A Chorus Line, the powerful and emotion-filled musical about the trials and tribulations of forging a life in the theater, will play in Pittsburgh June 15-24 at the Benedum Center. Directed and choreographed by original A Chorus Line cast member Baayork Lee, this bona fide Broadway hit features an incredible ensemble cast composed of exciting Broadway stars and Pittsburgh CLO veterans.

Chris Isaacson Presents and Upright Cabaret proudly present Broadway diva Lillias White: The Night After The Tonys, as she belts out the best of Broadway and Jazz, at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, for one performance only, on Monday, June 11. Showtime is 8pm, with cocktail and dinner service beginning at 6:30pm.

Last night on 'American Idol' pint-sized powerhouse Jessica Sanchez wowed the judges with her performance of 'And I'm Telling You,' but they weren't the only ones who were impressed. Original 'Effie' Jennifer Holliday wrote on her Twitter page: 'Yes,I was at home watching when Jessica Sang My Song 2Nite.. My Heart was beating fast &I was overwhelmed! So PROUD!'

Bay Street Theatre is celebrating its 21st season and has announced the 2012 Mainstage productions.

Eric Schaeffer, Artistic Director of Signature Theatre, today announced the lineup for the company's 2012/2013 season. The Tony Award®-winning company, long renowned for staging bold and innovative productions of classic musicals, will be reinventing four legendary Broadway favorites for their exciting 23rd season. In addition to a co-production with Ford's Theatre of the 10-time Tony Award®-winner Hello, Dolly!, Signature will be bringing the uproarious musical comedy The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and the inspirational award-winning musical Dreamgirls to the intimate MAX Theatre. Signature, the Theatre most closely associated with producing definitive productions of Stephen Sondheim, will also present the quintessential musical on love and marriage, Company, for the first time in twenty years.

Manhattan Theatre Club has announced additional casting for the upcoming world premiere of THE COLUMNIST, by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn, directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.

Ventura's Rubicon Theatre Company is delighted to announce the next evening in their Broadway Cabaret Benefit Concert Series, Lillias White in MY GUY CY on February 27, 2012 at 7pm.

Manhattan Theatre Club has announced that two time Drama Desk Award nominee Margaret Colin ("Gossip Girl," MTC's Defiance) and four time Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines (Gypsy, Contact) will join Tony and Emmy Award winner John Lithgow in the cast of the world premiere of THE COLUMNIST by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn, directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.

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!

Ventura's Rubicon Theatre Company is delighted to announce the next evening in their Broadway Cabaret Benefit Concert Series, Lillias White in MY GUY CY on February 27, 2012 at 7pm.

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.

San Diego Musical Theatre has announced that Broadway star, Eric Kunze (Les Mirserables, Miss Saigon, Damn Yankees) will now play the title role of Joseph in the first production of its 2011-2012 season of shows, the San Diego premiere of the Megamix version of, the seven-time Tony nominated musical, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice, musical direction by Don LeMaster, choreography by Johnny Dean Harvey & Chad Everett Allen and directed by Ron Kellum (who starred on Broadway in JOSEPH).

San Diego Musical Theatre will present the first production of its 2011-2012 season of shows, the San Diego premiere of the MegaMix version of, the seven-time Tony nominated musical, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice, musical direction by Don LeMaster, choreography by Johnny Dean Harvey & Chad Everett Allen and directed by Ron Kellum (who starred on Broadway in JOSEPH). JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT will preview on Friday, September 23, 2011 and will open on Saturday, September 24 and run through Sunday, October 9 at the Lyceum Theatre at Horton Plaza, 79 Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego.