It's Been 20 Years... DREAMGIRLS Broadway Revival? (Variety)

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117954893.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

While the article doesn't state directly that a revival is definitely coming...next year is the 20th anniversary since DREAMGIRLS last came to Broadway. It's possible...

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I would love that. It's definitely time.

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It's going to happen. I just have the feeling...

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Hudson should play effie again.


now that that's over, the thread can continue.



I've been saying for like 5 years they should revive it. Its such a great show it needs to come back to the Broadway stage.

Not to mention she riffs so much in "And I'm Telling You..." that it's hard to distinguish when she's singing the actual melody.

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As much as I love Lillias, I seriously doubt they'd cast her or anyone else over 40 to be in a full scale revival right now.

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Age doesn't matter in a concert, but it certainly does in a full staging. Remember that Effie and the other Dreams are teenagers when the show opens (and only in the late 20s at the end of the show). Lillias is in her early 50s, so, no she has no business playing Effie at this point.

Not to mention, even in her prime, she was far from the best Effie. I've seen about a dozen in the past 25 years and she doesn't even make my top 5.

If you're going to cast someone too old for the role, you might as well grab Holliday, McGirt-Nixon, Fuchsia Walker or even Sharon Brown, all of whom were better Effies than White.

But all that aside, they should go for talented newcomer. Holliday was 21 and had only one Broadway credit when the show first came around -- they should find some one like that. Condon did a nationwide talent search and apparently auditioned over 700 performers for the role of Effie for the movie -- maybe one of them would work (heck maybe they should grab a couple of them -- given how demanding the role is and how often several of the actresses during the original run and revival missed performances because they had blown out their voices, you always need two or three understudies for the role of Effie).

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Anika Noni Rose is hardly a name.

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Aisha DeHaas is also over 40.

I'm ready for Julie Taymor's version of Dreamgirls... with hand puppets.

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I respectfully disagree with Margo about White. She was my favorite Effie and was in poor voice for the concert recording (as was most of the cast.) I did see most of the ladies mentioned and still think that White sang the part best (never saw McGirt, who I understand was amazing, so I will leave the pedestal free.) White also had a toughness in the revival that struck me as necessary for Effie to get through her journey. While not as powerful vocally as some of the others, her interpretation of One Night Only and I Am Changing were marvelous, and not over the top.

That said, she is too old to play the part in a revival, and it would be wonderful for newcomers to play these legendary roles.

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Updated On: 12/4/06 at 10:22 AM

"Mimi Jimenez (an unknown currently touring as the SOL soloist in Rent) would make one hell of an Effie."

Yeah, no. She doesn't have the kind of voice needed. If they do a revival, I sort of hope it's a new approach to it. Look how new approaches worked out for Chicago, Pajama Game, etc.

I've said it before, but there's an interview where Beyonce said she wanted to be the first black woman to have an oscar, a grammy, an emmy, and a tony. Not that I think she'd be capable of winning a tony as Deena, but who knows, she might go for it. If she were starring, then the production would definitely be guaranteed a success.

I would love it if Sharon Leal came back to broadway as Deena. With Jesse L. Martin as Curtis. Don't know about any of the other parts. Maybe Billy Porter could play Jimmy again.

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