Dreamgirls (The SOB Review) – Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
**** (out of ****)The biggest theatre event of the year may have been
Arthur Laurents’ production of
Gypsy starring
Patti LuPone in New York, but some 800 or so miles to the south-southwest, another
event --
Dreamgirls starring the incomparable
Jennifer Holliday -- was giving it a run for its money.
When
Jennifer Hudson’s beautifully nuanced performance earned her a very well-deserved Academy Award, it seemed as though the torch of Effie Melody White had finally been successfully passed to a new generation with considerable aplomb.
Yet the specter of Jennifer Holliday’s haunting creation of the original
Dreamgirl never completely vanished. Despite having truly created the role of Effie,
the movie provided no obligatory tip of the hat toward the former Tony-winning best actress in the big screen retelling -- no cameo, no nothing.
But there she was last February, singing on a balcony overlooking Hollywood’s
Kodak Theatre and the Academy Awards, defiantly belting out her signature tune on the very night Hudson’s brilliant work would be honored as if to prove that the young actress/singer was welcome to borrow Effie Melody White, but no one else could truly own it.
Personally, I thought the way in which the film story was told was riveting and moving. But it was most definitely not the
Dreamgirls that first captured my heart back in the 80s. Much had changed rather dramatically, but nothing more so that Effie’s story.
Ironically, the character of Effie was relegated to that of a second-stringer in the film, a supporting character whose story -- just like her lead-singer status -- was demoted to back-up Deena Jones.
More recently,
the two Effies converged on the BET Network for a duet on “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” that demonstrated how formidable this über-Effie could really be. To Hudson’s enormous credit, major props were given to the lady who gave birth to the role, and rather than overpowering the young upstart, Holliday instead simply brought the song home to rousing effect.
All of this Effie-ness came to an exhilarating conclusion over the past couple weeks at Atlanta’s Fabulous Fox Theatre. As if to prove that she and Effie are not going to take a backseat to anyone, Jennifer Holliday returned one more time to role that for more than a quarter century was hers and hers alone. In a glorious and absolutely thrilling performance, not only does Jennifer Holliday triumphantly reclaim the mantle of Effie Melody White, but she reigns supreme. Holliday maintains the undisputed claim on Effie.
While Holliday alone would have made this
Dreamgirls dazzle, she was not alone in providing some truly magical and electrifying performances. In fact, the moment I realized this show would be otherworldly was at the onset of “Steppin’ To The Bad Side” when the foursome of Curtis Taylor Jr. (a superb
David Jennings), C.C. White (
Destan Owens), James Thunder Early (a mostly pitch-perfect
Eugene Fleming) and Wayne (
James Harkness) sent the first, palpable jolt of energized lightning ricocheting through the receptive audience, thanks in part due to
Kevyn Morrow’s supercharged choreography (Morrow played C.C. in the 1987 Broadway revival).
Once the audience was overcome with pure unadulterated excitement, the performances -- including those by a
Cindy Herron-Braggs as a less than benevolent diva Deena Jones, who claws her way to the top, and
Brandi Chavonne Massey as a luscious Lorrell Robinson -- continued building steam. And it certainly didn't hurt that
Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj's gorgeous revival of
Dreamgirls once again rolled out the original Broadway costume and set designs created by
Theoni V. Aldredge and
Robin Wagner, respectively.
When it comes to
Dreamgirls’ plot points, it’s worth noting that the film’s story arc differs substantially from its original source material. As noted above, Effie Melody White remains the central story in the stage show.
Here, she has the heartwrenching epiphany that that her demotion to back-up singer to Deena coincides precisely with the blossoming of an affair between the newly-anointed diva and Curtis, who stole Effie’s heart and virtue early on. To see Effie fall in love earlier is to see the comic heart of Holliday’s performance; but to see Effie’s double whammy fall from grace is to see the heart of the show.
As powerful as Hudson’s performance in the movie was, it’s this added nuance that makes Holliday’s delivery of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” so particularly potent on stage. Somehow, Holliday pulls this incredible outpouring of heartbroken anguish from the deepest, innermost recesses of her very being and spews it forth in an as chilling a show-stopping performance as I have ever seen. The angst of Holliday’s Effie is not only that of a dream lost, but more importantly, of a love lost.
One of my friends who joined me for both this and Holliday’s last outing as Effie at the very same theatre five years ago observed that watching this
Dreamgirls on the heels of silver screen version was like filling the blanks. For me, seeing this
Dreamgirls was a chance to once again witness one of the greatest live theatrical performances of all time and savor it.
This is Steve On Broaday (SOB).
Related Stories:Talk To The Hands: Jennifers Edition (June 28, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Holliday: You're Gonna Love Me...Again! (February 20, 2007)
Dreamgirls Revival Heading Toward Broadway? (January 26, 2007)
Living The Dreams (January 6, 2007)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Labels: Atlanta, Dreamgirls, Film, Jennifer Holliday, Jennifer Hudson, Musical, Revival
Talk To The Hands: Jennifers EditionClick
here to see the absolutely spine-tingling duet of
Jennifer Hudson and
Jennifer Holliday singing "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from Tuesday evening's
BET Awards 2007 ceremony. Talk about a dream-team
Dreamgirls pairing!
Today, I'm exactly one month out from taking in the Tony-winning Best Actress in a Musical from 1982 as she reprises her role as Effie Melody White for one last time at Atlanta's
Fabulous Fox Theatre.
And I'm telling you I'm going! And I can't wait.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Talk To The Hand: Kevin Edition (June 20, 2007)
Talk To The Hand: Tony Edition (June 19, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Holliday: You're Gonna Love Me...Again! (February 20, 2007)
Dreamgirls Revival Heading Toward Broadway? (January 26, 2007)
Living The Dreams (January 6, 2007)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Labels: Atlanta, Dreamgirls, Jennifer Holliday, Jennifer Hudson, Musical, Revival, Talk To The Hand
The Hits From Coast To Coast
Ever since finally installing a statcounter on Steve On Broadway (SOB) last month, I've been intrigued by which stories are being read the most. In a bit of shameless self-promotion, here's the top ten according to you and other readers, along with some thoughts as to why these stories struck a chord (and for your added convenience, I've provided links to each of the original postings):
10. Were Critics Faithful To Betrayal? - Through May 27, Chicago's Steppenwolf is the place to see the company's incarnation of the Harold Pinter classic. This posting captures the reviews by the
Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones and
Chicago Sun-Times' Hedy Weiss.
8. (tie) Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) - I learned with this story that if you load up an item with all kinds of varied information, ranging from a sequel to
The Phantom Of The Opera to discussions of Daniel Radcliffe's on-stage nudity to
Xanadu's casting (minus, Jane Krakowski, of course), you're bound to get readers. But I also took an unnecessary shot at John Doyle and indicated that Kristen Bell would replace Krakowski; I was wrong on both counts. So sorry!
8. (tie) Curtains (The SOB Review) - With this tuner from Kander & Ebb
and Holmes now in previews (with an opening set for March 22), is it any wonder that buzzomaniacs are wondering what others are saying about the show? I took in the tuner way back last summer in LA and loved it, as evidenced in my four-star SOB Review! Can't wait to see it again on Broadway, either.
7. Curtains Meets The Critics - Just as folks are searching for buzz on the aforementioned show, apparently they also want to know what the Left Coast critics have said. You can get it all via my Critics' Capsule on the show.
6. Holliday: You're Gonna Love Me...Again! - Apparently the fan base of
Dreamgirls just can't get enough of all things Jennifer Hudson
or Holliday. Just as hopes for a new Broadway revival with Miss Hudson are running high, suddenly Miss Holliday snaps us back to reality with the announcement that
she's gonna play Effie Melody White
again...in Atlanta this summer.
5. Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical (The SOB Review) - Welcome to all my Aussie cobbers who have visited this Yank's site to learn just how good the musical version of one of your fave pictures is! Well, what was initially going to be a limited run show at Sydney's Star City Casino through last October has continually expanded its run thanks to its fair dinkum popularity. I saw it in December as a Chrissie prezzie, and the performance was chock! Tickets are now selling through June 10. Good onya!
4. The Glass Menagerie (The SOB Review) - Welcome back to all you Randy Harrison fans worldwide who flocked to see how supposedly "not very positive" I was in my review of your favorite from "Queer As Folk." Well, while I may have quibbled with his meandering accent, I thought he comported himself "reasonably well, particularly in going toe-to-toe with Amanda (Harriet Harris)." You still have until March 25 to fly into Minneapolis to see this production that I awarded 3 1/2 stars out of 4 -- a great show in my book.
3. Dye Is Cast For Legally Blonde Reviews - With Left Coast critics singing this new tuner's praises and with Broadway previews less than a month away (April 3), it's no wonder that Google searches for any tidbit on
Legally Blonde are more common than split ends.
2. Betrayal (The SOB Review) - I was considerably more enthusiastic about the aforementioned Harold Pinter play at Steppenwolf than the critics. Maybe that's why so much traffic came my way. Just for the record, I gave this good, solid production 3 out of 4 stars.
1. The Pirate Queen (The SOB Review) - Two nights ago, this new musical began preview performances on Broadway...less than three months after taking a pretty severe beating from the Chicago critics. I was there on its Windy City opening night and could only muster up a two-star review. While I had hoped the production would have improved, I'm already reading comments from others (like Mike at
The Lunar Gemini), who aren't very impressed. Is there still hope of a salvage operation prior to its April 5 opening night? My bet at this point is it's going to sink.
Thanks to you, dear reader, for checking out
Steve On Broadway. And whether you agree wholeheartedly or think I'm full of it, you're always welcome to leave comments and join the discussion!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Betrayal tickets.Click here for Curtains tickets.Click here for Dreamgirls (Atlanta) ticket information.Click here for Equus tickets.Click here for Legally Blonde tickets.Click here for Priscilla Queen Of The Desert tickets.Click here for The Glass Menagerie tickets.Click here for The Pirate Queen tickets. Labels: Betrayal, Broadway, Curtains, Daniel Radcliffe, Dreamgirls, Equus, Jennifer Holliday, Jennifer Hudson, Legally Blonde, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, The Glass Menagerie, The Pirate Queen, Xanadu
Holliday: You're Gonna Love Me...Again!Jennifer Holliday will
once again reprise the theatrical role that made her a Tony-winning star. Come this July, the 46 year-old Holliday will return to Atlanta's
Fabulous Fox Theatre to portray Effie Melody White in the
Theatre of the Stars' revival of
Dreamgirls.The production is in conjunction with
The National Black Arts Festival;
Dreamgirls is scheduled to run July 20-29.
Now, before you all go on about how she's no longer age appropriate for the role, consider this: when she last appeared in a staging of
Dreamgirls at the very same venue a mere five summers ago,
she triumphed in single-handedly stopping the show. She truly brought down the house.
Having missed her original Broadway performance, I made tracks to Atlanta in 2002 just to witness her as Effie. Seeing her was to see musical history. I'll forever place her performance among the best I've ever experienced. And trust me, it was an experience unlike any other.
Holliday previously pledged never to revisit the role again. With talk of a new Broadway revival starring
Jennifer Hudson, the same dynamo who claimed the role of Effie in that "little" film version of "
Dreamgirls," could it be that Holliday is out to prove once again that no one can ever push her to the sidelines over the role of a lifetime that she created?
Whatever the case may be, I might just find it necessary to check into flights for Atlanta once again.
Post Script (February 23, 2007): Jennifer Holliday is the subject of a feature in Friday's USA Today in which she discusses the film version of "Dreamgirls," her singing role
near the Oscars and her decision to move forward with another go at Effie Melody White. I'm telling you, I
am going to Atlanta!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for ticket information.Related Stories:Dreamgirls Revival Heading Toward Broadway? (January 26, 2007)
Living The Dreams (January 6, 2007)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Labels: Atlanta, Broadway, Dreamgirls, First Word On New Show, Jennifer Holliday, Jennifer Hudson, Musical, Revival
Dreamgirls (The SOB Review) – Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
