Full of onstage joy and backstage drama, the new production of Dreamgirls, which opened in Ivoryton on Wednesday (Aug. 7), tells the story of an up-and-coming 1960s girl singing group, and the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune. With music by Academy Award nominee Henry Krieger and book and lyrics by Tony and Grammy Award winner Tom Eyen, Dreamgirls features the memorable hits: “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” “One Night Only” and “Listen.”
Dreamgirls opened on Dec. 20, 1981 at the Imperial Theatre starring American Idol star Jennifer Holliday as Effie, and was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical. It won six and was later adapted into a motion picture from DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures in 2006.
If you saw the movie or the Broadway show, try to see this production at Ivoryton, which takes a Broadway show and puts it in an intimate Ivoryton setting – making the audience almost feel a part of the performance.
Lawrence Thelen directs this production, choreography is by Todd L. Underwood and musical direction by Michael Morris. This cast has come to Ivoryton from far and wide and includes Sheniqua Denise Trotman from Huntsville, Ala., as Effie; JennLee Shallow from Trinidad as Deena and Ashley Jeudy*, who played Rusty in Footloose, as Lorel. The production design is by Marcus Abbott and costumes by NJaye Olds.
Dreamgirls runs through Sept. 1. Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $40 for adults, $35 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting the Playhouse website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.)
The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.
This production is generously sponsored by Citizens Bank.
Click here to view a video vignette from the production, courtesy of Outthink:
http://youtu.be/urcOj68SMNo
*member of Actors Equity.