Review | The wait is over as Dreamgirls hits the West End stage for the first time

It’s been a long time coming but the UK premiere of hit Broadway musical Dreamgirls delivers everything its army of fans have been waiting for – and a whole lot more.

The original Broadway production of Dreamgirls, written by Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger, opened in 1981 and was showered with Tony Awards. It took until 2006 for it to be made into a Hollywood film starring Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx. And now, 35 years after opening night in the US, it’s finally arrived in London.

Just in case there wasn’t enough expectation, a handful of performances had to be cancelled last week due to multiple cast illnesses. Would the show go on? Well, you can breathe a sigh of relief because it did and is now safely up and running. And it’s an absolute dream of a show.

In case the plot of the show has somehow passed you by, Dreamgirls charts the tumultuous journey to the top of a young female singing trio from Chicago called The Dreams.

This production is led by an exceptional cast; in all my years of watching theatre on the West End stage I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group of actors work so hard. Giving everything she’s got in the central role of Effie White is Glee favourite Amber Riley. Inevitably, her performance leads up to her rendition of standout belter ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going’. You know it’s going to be good from the second she appears on stage and delivers her first line but even so, when she finally launches into it the goosebumps spring up on your arms and you can feel your heart leap. It’s nothing short of sensational.

Equally impressive is Riley’s duet with Liisi Lafontaine in the less showy role of Deena Jones on ‘Listen’. By this point in the show you’re so engaged in the characters’ journey that you can’t help but be moved when they finally start to heal their friendship.

Credit should also go to Ibionabo Jack as the third member of the trio and Joe Aaron Reid does a great job avoiding slipping into caricature in the role of the group’s slimy manager. Although his character becomes more and more loathsome as the story progresses, somehow Reid still manages to look smoking hot.

(L-R) Amber Riley, Tyrone Huntley, Liisi LaFontaine, Ibinabo Jack in Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre. (Image: Brinkhoff/Mögenburg)

The production’s design isn’t particularly cutting edge, with lots of glitter, sequins and lamé. But this isn’t the show for cool: Dreamgirls is way too camp for that. And without straying into the realm of cheesy, this production really celebrates its sense of camp. Look out in particular for a few costume transformations that will have you gasping in your seat.

The staging is both fluid and inventive and director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw (Disney’s Aladdin, The Book of Mormon) maintains a taut, zippy pace throughout. In between numbers, some of the sung-through scenes in Act One can be a little inelegant but this is a minor quibble. Once the three female leads have performed title number ‘Dreamgirls’ you’ll be fully onboard. And providing great fun are the two versions of ‘One Night Only’, the first of which reveals a level of emotion you might not have expected if you originally heard the song in its recent guise as a drag-queen standard.

But don’t be fooled; this show isn’t just about high camp. Dreamgirls is serious stuff. It’s seriously moving, seriously slick and seriously good.

Dreamgirls is at the Savoy theatre, London, booking until 6 May. To book click here. For more of the best deals on tickets and shows, visit tickets.attitude.co.uk.

Words: Matt Cain

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