Dreamgirls

I won tickets to see Dreamgirls at the Cadillac Palace Theater. I first heard of this musical when I was in college studying Musical Theater Performance. We watched this clip in my Musical Theater history class and to say that the entire class was stunned into silence is a HUGE understatement. The collective gasp in the room when everyone remembered to breathe is something I'll never forget.





Jennifer Holliday won the Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 1982 for this performance, and there is no need to explain why. Every time, and I do mean every time, I hear this, I get all tingley. I wish I was this level of awesome. I also saw and enjoyed the movie...which isn't usually the case with me.

On to the production I saw last night...

Let's start with the visual aspects of the show:

The costumes: Holy sparkley awesomeness, batman! I wanted every dress that made an appearance in this show, and there were lots of them. And the costume changes happened so fast, that you were left wondering what just happened. Absolutely dazzling! Every few minutes, it was all I could do not to squeee with delight at the sequins and feathers. In the 2nd Act, the Dreams come out engulfed in these big fabulous bow contraptions that will make your jaw drop, and then they shed them to reveal sequined gowns which then get shed to reveal sequin genie pants with slits and corsets. For serious! Captivating!

The set: The set was functional, and it really took you into the world. It moved quickly and easily with the action. The stage was surrounded with lights, and there were metal panels that shifted in the center to move you effortlessly from on stage to back stage to the dressing room. Sometimes that much lighting serves as a distraction to what is really happening, but there was a good balance with this show, and the lighting enhanced the experience and fervor of the moment.

The performers:

Chester Gregory (James "Thunder" Early) and Chaz Lamar Shepherd (Curtis Taylor, Jr.) stole the show. Hands down. I enjoyed every moment they were on stage. This show moves so fast and doesn't give extra time for character development, and these two men found their moments and made them each important and powerful, and the audience connected so well with the little nuances of their characters that had the potential easily get lost in the tempo of the show.

The ladies all had such powerful, soulful voices, but words were lost. Big chunks of the story line were rushed through and diction could have been better. Maybe they'll fall into better pacing as the run continues. I loved how they let their voices build with their characters. Their voices became stronger as their characters became stronger, and it was important to show that reserve and let it build and go somewhere and then have all this power and strength explode midway through the 2nd Act. The musical journey was incredible. I think the ladies need to trust in the power of stillness and trust in the music and connect with the lyrics to take this the extra mile. I loved the enthusiasm, but they often came dangerously close to overpowering the words with movement and losing people.

My favorite songs:

I own 3 versions of the song "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", and I fully expected that to be the number that was going to be my favorite and the most moving moment of the show. And it was clear early on that Moya Angela (Effie Melody White) had the vocal chops to sing it, so I was anticipating it from the moment she opened her mouth, and she really did a fabulous, standing ovation worthy job. And, I mean, let's face it, there's not a soul on God's green earth that could top Jennifer Holliday's performance of this song, and anyone who sings it knows it, so the only other option is to make the song your own, allow it to move your soul, and to sing it with everything you have. Moya Angela succeeded.

However, the 2 songs that were unexpectedly my favorite were "Steppin' to the Bad Side" and "Listen". "Steppin' to the Bad Side" was magnificently choreographed and staged, and the men in this cast were all so powerful and on. Seriously, they were just so on, I don't think I breathed through the entire number. And to be honest, the men in this production overshadowed the ladies a bit. It took my breath away. Even more so because I wasn't expecting it.

In the 2nd Act, each character grows into themself, and they each get a song meant to command presence and demonstrate individuality and strength. And, aside from a few diction issues, Syesha Mercado (Deena Jones) and Adrienne Warren (Lorrell Robinson) owned their songs and connected so totally with the moment, that it was incredible. And the song "Listen", like "Steppin' to the Bad Side", caught me off guard and left me gasping for air. The blend and harmony between Syesha Mercado and Moya Angela reached right into my gut and took hold.

Overall, this was a truly spectacular show that, despite my few minor, picky criticisms, is worth your money. The rest of the audience seemed to agree because there were several spontaneous standing ovations throughout the show as well as during the curtain call.