Dreamgirls at the Apollo- Page 3

[atlsuperstar]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 2:35pm

I have to say that I had alot of expectations for this show! It being one of my favorites and one of the first musicals I ever did professionally not to mention I have alot of friends in the cast! With that said! I have to remember that this is still previews and I think the show will grow!

I have to start off sayin that the show visually is amazing and the costumes are great! (although all the money they put into the sets and costumes should have spilled over into the wig department) Im not sure if they are just not being taken care of or wht?...but they need help! Dreamgirls is about great wigs as well! I am sooooo happy that they went too the orginal production for ideas and didnt think of the movie..THANK GOD! I was a little worried about Shane Sparks being involved but they put a spin on the original choreo and it works through out the show!

Syesha as Deena is well im not sure I enjoyed her journey! She wasnt believable when they grew up and she becomes the star!..her voice is nice but I know soooo many other girls that could do a better job! Moye as Effie is pretty good and im sure will get better!..."And I Am Telling U" got a standing "O" that night which was well deserved in my book! Adrienne as Lorrell is cute and I actually liked her...and people are worried about her voice goin out! Trust me it wont! Thats just the type of sound she can produce and has chords of steel as far as im concerned! Its a different sound for Lorrell and I think it works!

The guys are well...I just dont get it! There are tons of amazing actors in the city that could have done alot better than what i saw! Chestor is a damn good JT Early and a perfect role for him! But none of the other guys left anything to be remembered by! I think that its a good revival though at the end of the day and has a great chance of finally coming back to Broadway!

With that being said they would have to recast a couple of the roles! Mainly: Deena and Curtis and I would be satisfied! I think its worth going to see though! I think Michael would be happy with this production it comes very close!....and i felt pretty good when the show was over! U know that feeling that you get when leaving a good show?...i had it and dont get it for alot of things! So I say go and experience this classic story!

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 3:26pm

I saw it last night and I wrote a paper on it for my directing class! I was suprised by how much Longbottom changed (especially the cuts to the score). Someone here said before that the focus was changed to be more of a girl power show and I completely agree. This production has more in common with Wicked, Legally Blonde, and The Color Purple than it does with the original version.

Posted: 11/13/09 at 5:04pm

Can you tell us what was cut from the score?

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 5:36pm

Sure! The "Showbiz" motif is gone. This is particularly noticeable during "The Rap" where the orchestrations remain without the lyrics. Most of "I'm Somebody" is cut and replaced by "Listen." Although, "Listen" doesn't cover all of the plot points so there is dialogue before and after the song (taken from the original song). Curtis's last number is severely cut down. He is not redeemed as he does not congratulate Denna or Effie. The opening of the second act is "What Can Love Do" which does nothing to further the plot; it only establishes that Denna loves Curtis (again playing into the whole male vs female concept Longbottom has imposed). Those are the major changes, although there are other smaller cuts.

The staging for AIATYING is also strange. Effie should be defeated, not triumphant, at the end of the first act.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 5:43pm

Does Act One end with the Dreams doing the "Love, Love You, Baby" tag?

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 6:11pm

^ Yes, it does. But the Dreams don't enter right away. The audience is allowed to applaud AIATYING before "Love, Love You" begins a la the film. And the "showbiz" refrain is eliminated. Of course, this goes against Bennett's genius: forcing the audience to applaud the Dreams instead of Effie.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 7:57pm

Annoying. I'm less and less interested in seeing the tour when it comes to Chicago now. Thanks!

[Parks]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 3:39pm

I LOVED the production! My only complaint was AITYING. I hope she gets better with the acting--vocally, she is wonderful.

Are there any plans for this production to come to Broadway??

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 3:40pm

^ It's going on tour first, and I imagine if it's successful, it could come to Broadway.

[tommigyrl5]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 4:18pm

Phyllis Rogers Stone - I am not going to tell you that you are wrong...but I guess...if Dreamgirls is a show you love, its DEFFINITELY worth seeing this production. If you (and other people) can only be satisfied with the original, get a bootleg and be done with it.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 4:37pm

Darling, I have a bootleg of the OBC. I just remember a professional production I saw about three years ago where the men were much better than the women, and it's kind of torturous.

[tommigyrl5]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 4:48pm

sweetie...do whatever you want. I just think you should see it :)

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 6:01pm

Baby, it won't be in Chicago for a few months, so I have time to decide!

Posted: 11/16/09 at 7:52pm

Has anyone else gone? Reviews?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 9:54pm

When do they start giving away rush tix?

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 10:38pm

We made a special trip to NYC just to see this over the weekend, as my partner is a huge fan of the movie and neither of us had much familiarity with the original stage version, except for the OBC album.

We thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone on this board. There were a few minor sound problems, but other than that we were very impressed with the overall production, especially the set, lighting, and costumes. The 5 LED panels were extremely effective and brought a definite "wow" factor to the whole production. I agree that the wigs could use a little work, but the amazing costumes more than made up for this.

We thought that the performances were mostly fine, especially Chester as Jimmy Early. His acting and singing were excellent. I thought that Syesha was better than most have commented on this board, but I agree that she didn't demonstrate enough "star quality" in Act 2. I thought Moya's acting could use some work, but I really think that she'll be fine eventually (she was noticeably tearful during "Family," which made it a very emotional number). Her singing is a knockout, especially on "Changing."

We thought that "Listen" worked perfectly as a duet. The night we saw it this number got more applause than any other.

I would urge anyone on this board to go see it! It was our first time in the Apollo, and I must say that being in that historic place just increased our excitement for the entire occasion. Really a great night!

[Jane2]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 11:49pm

Just got back from seeing the show. I'm not a review writer, so I'll just say that I enjoyed myself. Standout in the cast - well, Chester Gregory hands down. I loved the touches of Morris Day, a little James Brown and a few Prince-like facial expressions. Moya was great too. Syesha was very pretty but just ok, I thought.

I thought the guy who played CC, Trevon Davis, looked way too young and I couldn't believe his character at all. Besides that, he wasn't good. Aside from the standouts, I didn't think the cast was anything to remark about. The men were REALLY WEAK (aside from Gregory). the women weren't much better.

There were a few sound problems and one wardrobe malfunction (when the girls were going through several layers of dresses in one song, one girl's layer wouldn't come off ).

But the sets and costumes were outstanding. Oh my, what a feast for the eyes! Fabulous.

A friend of mine was in the onstage band playing guitar, and Hallie Berry sat across the aisle from us, and eating at Sylvia's pre-show was fun too.

Updated On: 11/18/09 at 11:49 PM

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 11/18/09 at 12:14am

As of tonight rush is $25.

[logan0215]

Posted: 11/18/09 at 2:45pm

So, it's a general rush?

At box office opening or two hours prior to curtain?

How many tickets per person?

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 11/18/09 at 2:56pm

I assume it's general...they didn't ask me or my friend for an ID. I can't help you with the time, though the theatre was less than 50% full last night so I'm sure you could get a ticket ANY TIME.

[verynewyorkcurious]

Posted: 11/20/09 at 5:41am

I saw this last night. Loved it. LOVED it.

Moya Angela..amazing! She was phenomenal during "I Am Changing," even better than she was during "And I Am Telling You." Chester Gregory..AMAZING!! and another stand out for me was Adrienne Warren who played Lorrell. She was really great!

Gotta say though, there's something going on at the Apollo. They should be used to having a large audience. They couldn't have been more inefficient. I got to the theater at 7:55 and I had to get on this long ass line to pick up my ticket at the box office. The woman there was not friendly at all.

and warning to those in the Upper Mezzanine: the stairs is probably as high as walking up 5 or 6 stories. I wasn't even sitting in the Upper Mezz. I asked the lady where the restroom was and told me to go up.

Curtain started pretty fast considering how long it took people to get in.

There was still a line to the ladies room towards the end of intermission. Don't know what was going on there.

Exiting the theater was crazy too. Seriously, don't know what's going on there.

I did get to rub the tree stump thing though!

[goodoneinlou2]

Posted: 11/20/09 at 2:03pm

The girl playing Lorelle looks like Rudy Huxtable - age 12.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/24/09 at 1:34pm

tommygirl, I'm getting tickets to the Chicago leg of the tour as a Christmas gift!

[tommigyrl5]

Posted: 11/24/09 at 3:54pm

Oh sugar plum, I KNOW you'll enjoy it! LOL

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/24/09 at 3:56pm

I will admit I think I rushed to judgment too quickly. After hearing some clips, watching the footage on Broadway.com and hearing people talk about, I am looking forward to it.