(L-R) Â Chaz Lamar Shepherd (Curtis Taylor, Jr.) Margaret
Hoffman (Michelle Morris) Syesha Mercado (Deena Jones) Moya Angela
(Effie White) Adrienne Warren (Lorrell Robinson) Chester Gregory
(James “thunder” Early)
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Dreamgirls Brought Down the House
Dreamgirls Review
By: Elzena Rankins
Sentinel Intern
From the music, to the costumes, to the makeup, to the hair and the upbeat-choreographed dance steps, Dreamgirls was a hit. For a minute I thought I had went through a time machine and ended up in the 1960’s, then after all the clapping and shouts of laughter I had realized that I was only experiencing a unique moment in theatre.
In comparison to the movie and the musical, at times I felt as if I was watching the actual movie, every single main character was like a spiting image of the real characters from the movie; Jimmy Early was still the same crazy and hilarious person as he was in the movie. You will also hear a lot of the same great music pieces that we know from the movie, such as: Dreamgirls, And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going, Listen and many more. However there were a couple of new songs that were not in the movie that were added to the musical and although there were a lot of similarities, there were a lot of differences that made the musical its own and unique.
Some of the most memorable musical scores throughout the musical play were, “Steppin” to the Bad Side, which was totally different from the scene in the movie but in a great way. I Want You Baby, performed by Jimmy, Effie, Deena and Lorrell, which had the crowd going, We are Family, Dreamgirls and the song that brought down the house, And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going performed by Effie.
The entire show was a hit, it deserved standing ovation all around. Dreamgirls even brought out the best of the best, celebrities such as Angela Bassett, Nia Long, Kenny Latimore, Cheryl Lee Ralph, Jennifer Holiday, Loretta Devine and many more. Shane Sparks, Co-Choreographer for the musical Dreamgirls, said that he thought that it was one of the better shows. “I saw this show maybe twenty times when I was in New York, everyday, and it’s ten times better then it was when I was there.” Everyone looked and sounded comfortable and perfect, the wigs and costumes, there were no flaws it was perfect, it was probably the best show I’ve seen them do, and I’ve seen it from scratch, I was very proud said Sparks.
Actress and Comedian, Kim Whitley said that she has seen it five times and this time it was breathtaking. This time with the backdrop and the electrical walls made it breathtaking and the performances were outstanding.
If you have not yet seen the incredible musical production, you are missing out, it is a must see as you will experience the time of you life. You will laugh, clap and even cry as you experience the rags to riches story of the Dreamgirls. You have never seen the Dreamgirls like this, so if you loved the movie, you will love the Musical even more.
The Dreamgirls Musical is available now through April 4th at the Ahmanson Theatre. For more information go to CenterTheatregroup.org/Dreamgirls or call 213-972-4400.
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