Dreamgirls

Photo Credit: Belinda Strodder

Australia has waited a long time for the premiere of Broadway classic Dreamgirls. The musical was first performed in 1981, winning six Tony awards, and went on to gain further notoriety when a film adaptation was released in 2006 starring Queen Bey (or Beyoncè to us mere mortals) in the role of Deena. Many people will also be familiar with the show through the breakout song from the score ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going,’ which was a hit for original Broadway star Jennifer Holiday and has since been bastardised by many a YouTube star and reality TV contestant.

Dreamgirls charts the rise and fall of a Supremes-like girl group in the flourishing R&B scene of the 1960’s and 70’s. Talented trio Deena Jones (Anna Francesca Armenia), Lorrell Robinson (Zenya Carmellotti) and Effie White (Thando Sikwila) are taken under the wing of ambitious car salesman Curtis Taylor Jr. (Winston Hillyer), who wants to shake up the preconceived notions of what an African American singing group can achieve in the white dominated music industry. As The Dreams becomes more famous lead singer Effie is pushed aside as Curtis primes the ‘more attractive’ Deena for superstardom.

Henry Krieger’s eclectic, extensive and electrifying score encompasses a wide range of styles; from soul, rock and disco to thunderous power ballads. Book writer and lyricist Tom Eyen tells the whirlwind story with deft economy and a surprisingly dark tone. Dreamgirls explores the pitfalls of fame and the unscrupulous choices artists make to obtain it.

StageArt have assembled a vocally stunning cast for this Australian premiere production. All of the lead cast sing their roles with power, soulfulness and skill. Armenia is the perfect Deena, bringing a sweet tone with an underlying sense of determination and an emotional maturity to the role. As Lorell, Carmellotti is equal parts naive and sass, while Gareth Jacobs almost brings the house down as Jimmy ‘Thunder’ Early with his jaw-dropping voice and perfect comedic timing. The roles of Effie and Curtis are more demanding and unfortunately they’re rather problematic in this production.

Hillyer and Sikwila hit all the right notes, but their performances are a little underdeveloped. Hillyer has a beautiful almost operatic voice and a suave presence on stage, but his portrayal of Curtis is all pretty one-note. Similarly, Sikwila certainly has the vocal chops to pull off the role of Effie (several of her numbers are earth shattering), however her acting skills could have been further developed. Her accent dropped in and out throughout the performance and she didn’t seem to connect emotionally to the role. This is Sikwila’s theatrical debut and I’m sure she’ll settle into the role as the season progresses.

When it comes down to it Dreamgirls is really all about the music and it is in this department that StageArt’s production excels. The aforementioned sensational vocal performances by the cast are perfectly captured by Marcello Lo Ricco’s crisp sound design and musical director Tyson Legg should be applauded for his superlative work on this mammoth score. His nine-piece band performs with intensity and flair; you couldn’t really ask for a better sounding Dreamgirls. Mention must also be made of Daniel Harvey’s enormous collection of period perfect costumes and Lucy Wilkins’ polished wig and make up designs. The cast sound and look fantastic.

Under the direction of Terence O’Connell Dreamgirls is told swiftly and with just the right amount of pizzazz. All the big moments are there; The Dreams first joyous performance of the title song, Effie’s strength and determination as she sings ‘I Am Changing’ and the tear-jerking farewell at the end of the show. However, there are several strange staging choices throughout which rob some moments of the power they deserve. For example, ‘Steppin’ to the Bad Side’ has no big finish; the cast just file off the stage leaving three ensemble members to awkwardly mime playing brass instruments. Worse still halfway through ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going’ crewmembers appear on stage to strike two tables from the set. This completely distracts from what should be the highlight of the show. A missed sound cue on opening night also eliminated a crucial plot point halfway through the first act.  

The curse of The Chapel performance space has also struck again in the staging of this production. With the inclusion of a large and rather drab looking scaffold set there is simply not enough floor room left to adequately stage the scenes and songs. Therefore any choreographed sequences involving more than a few performers appear cramped and messy, whilst the general placement of bodies within the performance space becomes repetitive and unimaginative. A rethink of the production design could have allowed for a more fluid and entertaining presentation of Dreamgirls.

It’s so exciting that this thrilling musical is finally getting a chance to be experienced by Australian audiences and it’s all thanks to groundbreaking local music theatre group StageArt and their unwavering commitment to presenting works never seen before on the local stage. It’s just a shame that this production is so unbalanced. We may never get another chance to see Dreamgirls on our shores again, let alone sung so well, so if you’re a fan you had better run to Chapel Off Chapel.  

Rating: 3 stars out of 5