Dreamgirls tour - Chester Gregory

Happy Holidays

Just saw Dreamgirls Wed nite in Baltimore
Chester Gregory was fantastic
His voice was GREAT, he really excelled in the performance as an actor
He put his own spin on the role and made it his own.
I saw the original broadway show :) and thought he was better
He is the one to watch
Has anyone else seen the show, thoughts, comments, etc.

When I saw it at the apollo he, along with the rest of the cast(with the exception of Adrienne Warren), was entirely 1 dimensional.

---

Chester and Adrienne were the definite standouts when I saw the tour in Philadelphia. I saw Patrice Covington as Effie (cause it was a matinee) and she was great, too.

the show stops in Philly for a "pit stop" and
the understudy goes on.....and it got horrible
reviews...I have seen this show from its preview in
Boston in NYC and even at the Prince theater here in philly (great production) ...what the hell was up with the men in those awful awful looking fake wigs...bad bad bad

Chester Gregory's James 'Thunder' Early is the best thing about this production, IMO. Moya Angela's Effie was as angry, ugly and loud as a freight train.

The production at the Prince which extended due to popularity was 100% better. Nova Payton's Effie was outstanding enough to land her a spot at that year's Barrymore Awards.

The current tour lacks character and heart...just a lot of flash and fluff and yes some of the costumes are hideous.

---

I'm wary of and tend to be more critical when there are craploads of hype but Gregory fulfilled every high expectation and then some. He was simply believable as his character. He didn't come off as a show-off or as trying too hard. He became this man and his acting was natural throughout. His voice was impressive but that's not what made him great; it was the whole package.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Adrienne Warren was a stand-out. Like Gregory, she became her character and totally sucked you into the story whenever she was onstage.

I have mixed feelings about some of the costumes, too. With the exception of some of the ones worn during the early dressing room scenes, almost all of them are slightly modernized versions of the originals. It's actually the one thing that has changed the least from the original designs, which I thought were kind of ugly, as well. But I don't think the designer was going for eye-candy. His designs are very true to typical stuff worn in that era and not all of it is flattering by today's standards just like stuff we wear today will look ridiculous 25 years from now.

---

Updated On: 7/29/10 at 10:41 PM