Holy Crap...Was the '87 Dreamgirls Revival Any Good?

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 4/17/09 at 5:08pm

I understand things come out very different on TV, but Alisa Gyse is just dreadful.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 4/17/09 at 5:10pm

I don't remember her one way or another, but Lillias White was extraordinary.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/17/09 at 5:12pm

Gyse played Deena in 2002 when Jennifer Holliday played Effie in Atlanta. I didn't think she was terrible, but Ramona Keller stole that show.

You wanna see a scary Deena? Find footage of Linda Leilani Brown.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 4/17/09 at 5:17pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0El4drgpQs

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/17/09 at 5:22pm

Ahhhh! That weird voice! That big insect-like head!

[lakezurich]

Posted: 4/17/09 at 6:21pm

The teeth on that woman are scary!

[thejcm]

Posted: 4/18/09 at 2:10am

Lakezurich, those aren't teeth, they're teef.

That said, am I the only person who actually kind of loved/loves Linda Leilani Brown? I never saw her live because, well, I was born in 87, but the clips I've seen of her, I love. Especially the one where they did a montage, love it.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 4/18/09 at 6:11am

At least you guys got a revival.

For everyone on this board who is miffed that the West End has had four productions of A Little Night Music whilst Broadway has only had one, spare a thought for those of us in the UK suffering from Dreamgirls deprivation where it has never been done on stage.

What greater proof do you need that karma exists?

[westcoastdrama2]

Posted: 4/18/09 at 11:44am

This is my first official post! I used to post on another site, but they got too testy for my tastes.

I was at The Ambassador Theatre the night Michael Bennett died. An announcement was made before the show. When the cast got around to singing "Family" it was a pretty emotional audience. The set was rather cheap and flimsy looking, but the performances were fantastic. In a way the value of that touring production was to prove a stripped down version could still ignite an audience. It didn't need all of the glitzy sets (which was an original criticism)

[morosco]

Posted: 4/18/09 at 12:24pm

Arnetia Walker was fantastic as Lorrell.
Ain't No Party

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 4/18/09 at 2:12pm

The revival was dull in comparison. The energy was off. And, the set without the automation was just wrong. The towers felt more like shopping carts.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/18/09 at 4:53pm

Did the original have glitz? I saw the one in Atlanta like two years ago with Holiday, and the sets were awful.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 12:37pm

[I just heard from PG2. He's o "hiatus" and will be returning shortly.]

[Dreamboy85]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 5:49am

I am a huge Linda Leilani Brown fan! That girl rocked in the show! She had glamour and a unique voice! And besides Sheryl Lee Ralph, played Deena longer that anyone else! She was SLR's understudy for 6 weeks in 82' and the went on the road from 1983-84 and then returned to Broadway in 84' to replace SLR until the Show closed in 1985. Through out the National tour in 1983 and 1984 Linda Leilani Brown would also come and fill in for SLR, when she was on vacation.

Michael Bennett loved Linda Leilani Brown... I think SHE had real star quality...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 9:27am

K

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 9:29am

I love how he bumps all of these really old threads.

[Pippin]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 9:51am

thanks for joining, Linda!!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 9:55am

I think SHE had real star quality...

Alas, it seems the rest of the world did not.

[Kalimba]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 10:28am

Pippin, that's my line!

Kisses, Phyllis!

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 12:28pm

Best Effie EVER!!!!!!

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 1:14pm

>And, the set without the automation was just wrong. The towers felt more like shopping carts.<

Just mentioning that Michael Bennett and Robin Wagner grew to love the national tour version with the dancers moving the towers since the towers would rarely hit their marks in the original automated version.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 1:17pm

Sorry, MTV...we all know who was the best Effie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di_Jp_xvMbk&playnext=1&videos=opfPgkzOkxU

[morosco]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 1:21pm

"...the towers would rarely hit their marks in the original automated version."

Interesting. Where did you read that?

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 1:27pm

I loved the revival, even if it was not as grand as the original. The problem was that the revival was too soon, and noone wanted to see a pale comparison of what just closed.

I still dont understand how Lillias didnt get a Tony nom. She was thrilling.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/4/10 at 1:34pm

Morosco, it MIGHT be in the Ken Mandelbaum book about Bennett/A Chorus Line. Would have to check it out to make sure.