Dreamgirls
is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, [1] the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called "The Dreams", who become music superstars. Dreamgirls
opened on December 20, 1981 at the Imperial Theatre, and was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical, and won six.
The musical was adapted into a motion picture by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, which opened in theaters on December 15, 2006 (limited) and December 25, 2006 (world wide).
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DREAM GIRLS TICKETS
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Plot summary
Act I
Act I opens in 1962. The Dreamettes, a hopeful girl group from
Chicago, enter the famous Amateur Night talent competition at the
Apollo Theater in
Harlem, New York ("I'm Lookin' for Something", "Goin' Downtown", "Takin' the Long Way Home"). The group is comprised of full-figured lead singer Effie White and best friends, Deena Jones and Lorrell Robinson. For the contest, the Dreamettes sing "Move (You're Steppin' on My Heart)", a song written by Effie's brother, C.C., who accompanies them to the talent show. Backstage, the girls and C.C. meet Curtis Taylor, Jr., a used-car salesman who becomes the Dreamettes' manager.
Curtis convinces James "Thunder" Early, a popular R&B star, and his manager, Marty, to hire The Dreamettes as backup singers. Though Jimmy Early & the Dreamettes' first performance together is successful ("Fake Your Way to the Top"), Jimmy is desperate for new material. Curtis convinces Jimmy and Marty that they should venture beyond traditional R&B/soul audiences and aim for the pop market. C.C. composes "Cadillac Car" for Jimmy & the Dreamettes, who tour ("Cadillac Car (On the Road)") and record the single upon their return ("Cadillac Car (In the Recording Studio)"). "Cadillac Car" makes its way up the pop charts, but a cover version by white pop singers, Dave & the Sweethearts ("Cadillac Car" (Reprise)), steals the original recording's thunder.
Angered by "Cadillac Car's" usurpation, Curtis, C.C., and Jimmy's producer, Wayne, resort to
payola, bribing disc jockeys across the nation to play Jimmy Early & the Dreamettes' next single, "Steppin' to the Bad Side". As a result, the record becomes a major pop hit. Conflict arises between Marty and Curtis when Curtis moves in on Marty's turf: Jimmy Early. Things become more complicated when Effie begins dating Curtis, and Jimmy, a married man, begins an affair with Lorrell ("Party, Party").
Marty quits as Jimmy's manager. Curtis replaces him, strongly determined to make his black singers household names. Curtis attempts to transform Jimmy Early into a
Perry Como-esque pop singer ("I Want You Baby"), and concentrates on establishing the Dreamettes as their own act, renaming them
The Dreams
, changing their act to give them a more sophisticated and pop-friendly look and sound. The most crucial of these changes is the establishment of the svelte Deena as lead singer, instead of the zaftig Effie. Effie is resentful of her change in status within the group. C.C. convinces her to go along with Curtis' plan ("Family").
The Dreams make their club debut in the Crystal Room in
Cleveland, Ohio, singing their first single, "Dreamgirls". After a triumphant show, the press is eager to meet the newly-minted stars ("Press Conference"). Curtis informs Deena that this is "Only the Beginning": "I'm going to make you the most famous woman who's ever lived," Curtis declares, as the slighted Effie asks "What about me?" Over the next few years, the Dreams become a mainstream success with hit singles such as "Heavy." As Deena is increasingly feted as a star, Effie becomes temperamental and unpredictable. She suspects Curtis and Deena of having an affair. Lorrell attempts to keep peace between her bandmates, but the task proves impossible.
In 1967, the group - now known as "Deena Jones & the Dreams - is set to make its
Las Vegas debut. However, when Jimmy stops by to visit the girls ("Drivin' Down the Strip"), he learns from the others that Effie has been missing shows because of illness (it is later revealed that she was pregnant with Curtis' child). Curtis and Deena are convinced she is trying to sabotage the act. Curtis replaces Effie with a new singer, Michelle Morris, a change Effie learns about before anyone has a chance to tell her. Effie confronts Curtis, C.C., and the group ("It's All Over"), but despite her personal appeal to Curtis ("
And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"), the heartbroken Effie is left behind as Deena Jones & the Dreams forge ahead without her ("Love Love Me Baby").
Act II
Act II opens in 1972. Deena Jones & the Dreams have become the most successful girl group in the country ("Act II Opening"
1). Deena has married Curtis, and C.C. is in love with Michelle. Jimmy has gone years without a hit. Curtis shows little interest in updating or revitalizing Jimmy's act because of his preoccupation with Deena and Jimmy's habit of sneaking
funk numbers into his repertoire of pop-friendly songs. Effie is back in Chicago, a single mother to her daughter, Magic, struggling to get another break. Marty, who is now her manager, compels her to rebuild her confidence and give up her 'diva behaviors'. Once she does, Effie is able to make a show business comeback ("
I Am Changing").
In contrast to Effie's struggling return to her musical career, Deena wants to stop singing and become an actress. Deena informs Curtis of her careers plans during a
Vogue
photo shoot ("One More Picture Please"), but Curtis refuses to let her go ("When I First Saw You"). Deena is not the only one chafing under Curtis' control: C.C. is enraged by Curtis' constant rearrangements of his songs, including an emotional ballad, entitled "One Night Only", which Curtis wants instead recorded to reflect the "new sound" he is inventing (
disco).
Deena Jones & the Dreams and Jimmy Early perform at a National Democratic fund raiser, on a bill featuring such groups as The Five Tuxedos ("Got to Be Good Times"). While waiting backstage to go on, Jimmy finds himself in another argument with Lorrell as to the nature of their relationship and when, or if, Jimmy will tell his wife about their affair ("Ain't No Party"). Lorrell is in tears as Jimmy takes to the stage to perform "I Meant You No Harm", and turns to Deena for support. As Jimmy pleads to Lorrell through his music, Deena tries to help Lorrell successfully resolve her situation, and Michelle convinces the artistically frustrated C.C. to go find his sister and reconcile with her ("Quintette").
Mid-way through "I Meant You No Harm", Jimmy falls apart and decides that he "can't sing any more sad songs". Desperate to keep his set going, Jimmy launches into a wild, improvised funk number ("The Rap"), dropping his pants during the performance. An embarrassed Curtis fires Jimmy as soon as his set concludes. Lorrell ends her affair with Jimmy, as well. The heartbroken Jimmy fades into obscurity, refusing to "beg" for Curtis' help.
Marty arranges for C.C. to meet and reconcile with Effie at a recording studio ("I Miss You, Old Friend"). C.C. apologizes for his role in handicapping her career, and Effie records C.C.'s "
One Night Only" in its original ballad format. "One Night Only" begins climbing the charts, causing an enraged Curtis to not only rush-release Deena & the Dreams' version, but to use massive amounts of payola to push Deena's version up the charts and Effie's version down ("One Night Only" (Disco)). Effie, C.C., and Marty discover Curtis' scheme and confront him backstage at a Dreams concert, threatening legal action ("I'm Somebody", "Chicago/Faith in Myself"). As Curtis makes arrangements with Effie's lawyer to reverse his wrongdoings, Effie and Deena reconcile (and Deena learns that Effie's daughter Magic is Curtis' child). Realizing what kind of a man Curtis is, Deena finally finds the courage to leave him and live her own life.
Effie's "One Night Only" becomes a number-one hit, as the Dreams break up so that Deena can pursue her movie career ("Hard to Say Goodbye, My Love"). For the final number of the Dreams' farewell concert, Effie rejoins the group on stage, and all four Dreams sing their signature song - "Dreamgirls" - one last time. While singing this song on stage Effie focuses her attention on her daughter, Magic. This catches the attention of Curtis. He walks to the child to look her in the face and realizes she is his daughter.
Original Broadway production
Background
Dreamgirls
had its beginnings as a project for
Nell Carter. Playwright Tom Eyen and composer Henry Krieger first worked together on the 1975 musical version of Eyen's play
The Dirtiest Show in Town
. Carter appeared in the musical, and her performance inspired Eyen and Krieger to craft a musical about Black back-up singers, which was originally called
One Night Only
and then given the working title of
Project #9
[2].
Project #9
was workshopped for
Joseph Papp; Nell Carter was joined at this time by Sheryl Lee Ralph and Loretta Devine, who were to play her groupmates. The project was shelved after Carter departed to appear in the
soap opera Ryan's Hope
in 1978.
A year later,
Project #9
was brought back to the table, after catching the interest of successful Broadway director/producer/choreographer Michael Bennett. Ralph and Devine returned, and Bennett had Eyen, who was to direct, begin workshopping
Big Dreams
, as the musical was now known. Joining the cast at this time were Ben Harney, Obba Babatunde, Cleavant Derricks, and twenty-year-old gospel singer Jennifer Holliday as Carter's replacement (after Carter accepted an offer from
NBC to star in
Gimme a Break
). However, Holliday left the project during the workshopping phase, as she disliked the material and was upset that her character, Effie White, died at the conclusion of the first act. Eyen, Bennett, and Krieger continued to iron out the story and songs.
Cheryl Gaines and
Phyllis Hyman were both considered as replacements for Holliday.
After two mildly successful workshops which included actress
Jenifer Lewis as Effie, Holliday returned to the project, now known as
Dream Girls
. However, she found Effie's role had been reduced significantly in favor of Sheryl Lee Ralph's Deena character, and Holliday eventually quit the project again. After acquiring funding from music industry mogul
David Geffen and fellow co-financiers ABC Entertainment, Metromedia, and the
Shubert family, Bennett called Holliday back and agreed to rewrite the show's second act and build up her character.
[3]
Broadway
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Dreamgirls
premiered on
Broadway at the
Imperial Theatre on December 20, 1981 and closed on August 11, 1985. The production was directed by
Michael Bennett, produced by Bennett,
Bob Avian,
Geffen Records, and
The Shubert Organization, and
choreographed by Bennett and
Michael Peters. It starred
Sheryl Lee Ralph as Deena Jones,
Jennifer Holliday as Effie White,
Loretta Devine as Lorrell Robinson,
Ben Harney as Curtis Taylor, Jr.,
Cleavant Derricks as James "Thunder" Early, and
Obba Babatunde as C. C. White.
Dreamgirls
proved to be a star-making vehicle for several of its performers, particularly Holliday, whose performance as Effie received significant praise.
Holliday's recording of Effie's solo "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" was a #1 single on the Billboard R&B charts in 1982. For the
Dreamgirls
original cast recording, the producers decided to present the complex musical sequences as individual songs, cutting approximately half of the score. The cast recording won two Grammy awards, Best Musical Album and Best Vocal Performance for Jennifer Holliday's "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going".
Phylicia Rashad (then known as Phylicia Ayers-Allen) was a member of the musical's company. Rashad was also Sheryl Lee Ralph's understudy; but when Ralph left the production, Rashad was not offered her role, and subsequently left the cast.
Subsequent productions
National US tours
Bennett took
Dreamgirls
on an abbreviated national tour in 1983, with Jennifer Holliday remaining as Effie, with
Larry Riley,
Linda Leilani Brown,
Arnetia Walker,
Lawrence Clayton, and Cleavant Derricks' twin brother
Clinton Derricks-Carroll as her co-stars. Because of high costs, only three cities were played before the road production was dissolved. A second tour began in 1985, with
Sharon Brown as Effie. By 1987,
Lillias White, Jennifer Holliday's original understudy, had taken over the role, and the tour ended with a Broadway revival at the
Ambassador Theatre. By this time, Michael Bennett had fallen ill due to
AIDS-related complications, and he died on July 2, 1987.
Another US tour is scheduled to begin at the
Apollo Theater, New York City, in November 2009 through December 2009, before starting the tour. It is to be directed and choreographed by
Robert Longbottom.
[4] It was confirmed June 25, 2009 that
American Idol
alum
Syesha Mercado will star as Deena Jones.
Revivals
After its success on Broadway,
Dreamgirls
has been frequently produced and presented. A 2001 Broadway concert performance starring Lillias White,
Audra McDonald,
Heather Headley,
Billy Porter and
Norm Lewis was recorded and released in its entirety on CD.
During the early 2000s,
American Idol
contestant
Frenchie Davis gained praise for her role as Effie in several productions of
Dreamgirls
. In late 2005 and early 2006, the
Prince Music Theatre in Philadelphia produced a critically acclaimed revival of the show which extended for over three months. The production team included director Richard Parison, music director Jesse Vargas, and choreographer Mercedes Ellington. The production was courted by several Broadway and commercial producers. Composer Henry Krieger was said to have praised the revival as the most authentic since the original Broadway production.
[5]
The Dreams and The Supremes
The basic plot of
Dreamgirls
is derived from the history of The Supremes, a girl-group from
Detroit, Michigan, which was
Motown's most successful group act during the 1960s.
[6] Effie White is based on
Florence Ballard, the founder of the Supremes; the character's vocal stylings and personality are based upon
Aretha Franklin and
Etta James in contrast to Ballard having served as the group's high voice.
Diana Ross, who became the central focus of the Supremes and later left the group to pursue a solo career and a brief venture into films, is here adapted into the character of Deena Jones. Supremes member
Mary Wilson is represented by Lorrell Robinson. Curtis Taylor, Jr., represents
Berry Gordy, Jr., the founder of Motown, who pushed the Supremes towards pop success and became romantically involved with Ross. James "Thunder" Early is depicted as a representative of soul singers such as
James Brown,
Little Richard,
Marvin Gaye, and Jackie Wilson. C. C. White is a collective representative for The Supremes' songwriters, who included the
Holland-Dozier-Holland team and
Smokey Robinson. Michelle Morris is representative of
Cindy Birdsong, Florence Ballard's replacement in The Supremes, which was renamed "Diana Ross & the Supremes" at the time of that line-up change.
Dreamgirls
is most dissimilar from The Supremes' story in its second act, which ends with Effie finding success as a solo performer. In real life, Florence Ballard's solo career was unsuccessful and the singer sank into poverty, depression, and alcoholism, dying of cardiac arrest at the age of thirty-two in 1976, just after her career had been revived. The play also shows inspiration from the 1976 feature film
Sparkle
, which itself was inspired by The Supremes' story.
Michael Bennett, Henry Krieger, Tom Eyen, and the
Dreamgirls
producers denied and downplayed the connections between the musical's plot and the Supremes' life stories, hoping to avoid legal issues from Motown Records and Diana Ross. Mary Wilson loved
Dreamgirls
, and even named her first
autobiography,
Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme
, after it. Diana Ross, however, was reportedly angered by the musical, and expressed her dislike of it in the media. Though the Deena character mirrors Diana Ross, Sheryl Lee Ralph stands to the fact that she was not trying to imitate Ross, but portrayed Deena in a similar yet distinct style.
Film adaptation
David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records and one of the play's financiers, leased the
Dreamgirls
film rights to
Warner Bros. in the 1980s through his
Geffen Pictures company. Although the film was announced several times, with singers such as
Whitney Houston (as Deena),
Lauryn Hill (another Deena candidate),
Kelly Price (as Effie) tapped to star and
Monica (as Lorrell), the studio eventually abandoned the project.
[7] Geffen eventually leased the rights to
DreamWorks SKG, a company he co-founded, and Paramount Pictures in 2004.
Laurence Mark served as producer of the DreamWorks/Paramount adaptation of
Dreamgirls
, written and directed by
Bill Condon, who had earned an Oscar nomination for his screenplay adaptation of
Chicago
.
The film adaptation of
Dreamgirls
stars
Jamie Foxx as Curtis,
Beyoncé Knowles as Deena,
Eddie Murphy as Jimmy,
Danny Glover as Marty,
Jennifer Hudson as Effie,
Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell,
Keith Robinson as C.C.,
Sharon Leal as Michelle, and
Hinton Battle as Wayne.
Dreamgirls
was first exhibited in special ten-day
road show engagements beginning
December 15,
2006. Subsequently, the film went into national release on
December 25,
2006.
[8] Loretta Devine, who originated the Lorrell role, has a cameo role as a jazz singer in the film. Two other alumni of the Broadway production - Hinton Battle (a James "Thunder" Early replacement) and
Yvette Cason (Charlene; Effie White understudy) - also appear. While much of the material remains the same as that of the stage musical, some of the stage musical's songs (most notably "Ain't No Party") were removed, and four new songs were added. A number of changes were made to the story as well, including the additions of more overt references to The Supremes and Motown, and the relocation of the story's main setting from Chicago to Detroit. The film won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Best Sound Mixing.
To give the story more exposure for the upcoming film release, DreamWorks Pictures and the licensee of the original play, The Tams-Witmark Music Library, announced that they would pay the licensing fees for all non-professional stage performances of
Dreamgirls
for the calendar year of 2006. DreamWorks hoped to encourage amateur productions of
Dreamgirls
, and familiarize a wider audience with the play. As a result, more than fifty high schools, colleges, community theaters, and other non-commercial theater entities staged productions of
Dreamgirls
in 2006, and DreamWorks spent up to $250,000 subsidizing the licensing.
[9]
Opening night cast
- Jennifer Holliday - Effie White
- Sheryl Lee Ralph - Deena Jones
- Loretta Devine - Lorrell Robinson
- Ben Harney - Curtis Taylor, Jr.
- Cleavant Derricks - James "Thunder" Early
- Obba Babatundé - C.C. White
- Deborah Burrell - Michelle Morris
- Vondie Curtis-Hall - Marty
- Tony Franklin - Wayne
Musical numbers
Act I
- "I'm Lookin' for Something" - The Stepp Sisters
- "Goin' Downtown" - Little Albert & the Tru-Tones
- "Takin' the Long Way Home" - Tiny Joe Dixon
- "Move (You're Steppin' on My Heart)" - Effie, Deena, and Lorrell
- "Fake Your Way to the Top" - Jimmy, Effie, Deena, and Lorrell
- "Cadillac Car" - Curtis, Jimmy, C.C., and Marty, Effie, Deena, and Lorrell
- "Cadillac Car (On the Road)" - Company
- "Cadillac Car (In the Recording Studio)" - Jimmy, Effie, Deena, and Lorrell
- "Cadillac Car (Reprise)" - Dave and the Sweethearts
- "Steppin' to the Bad Side" - Curtis, Jimmy, C.C., Wayne, Lorrell, Effie, Deena, and Company
- "Party, Party" - Effie, Curtis, Jimmy, and Lorrell
- "I Want You Baby" - Jimmy, Effie, Deena, and Lorrell
- "Family" - Effie, C.C., Jimmy, Lorrell, Curtis, and Deena
- "Dreamgirls" - Deena, Lorrell, and Effie
- "Press Conference" - Company, Deena, and Curtis
- "Only the Beginning" - Curtis
- "Heavy" - Deena, Lorrell, and Effie
- "Drivin' Down the Strip" - Jimmy
- "It's All Over" - Effie, Curtis, C.C., Deena, Lorrell, and Michelle
- "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" - Effie
- "Love Love Me Baby" - Deena, Lorrell, and Michelle
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Act II
- "Act II Opening" 1 - Deena, Lorrell, Michelle, Curtis, and Jimmy
- "I Am Changing" - Effie
- "One More Picture Please" - Company, Deena, Lorrell, and Michelle
- "When I First Saw You" - Curtis and Deena
- "Got to Be Good Times" - The Five Tuxedos
- "Ain't No Party" - Lorrell and Jimmy
- "I Meant You No Harm" - Jimmy
- "Quintette" - Jimmy, Lorrell, Deena, C.C., and Michelle
- "The Rap" - Jimmy
- "Firing of Jimmy" - Jimmy, Curtis, Lorrell, and Company
- "I Miss You Old Friend" - Les Styles, C.C., and Effie
- "One Night Only" - Effie and Company
- "One Night Only (Disco)" - Deena, Lorrell, Michelle, and Company
- "I'm Somebody" - Deena, Lorrell, and Michelle
- "Chicago/Faith in Myself" - Effie, C.C., Curtis, Wayne, and Marty
- "Hard to Say Goodbye, My Love" - Deena, Lorrell, and Michelle
- "Dreamgirls (Reprise)" - Effie, Deena, Lorrell, and Michelle
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Notes
- 1 The original Act II opening was a medley reprising the songs "Dreamgirls", "Move (You're Steppin' on My Heart)", "Love Love Me Baby", "Family", "Heavy", and "Cadillac Car", performed by Deena Jones & the Dreams, followed by most of the company participating in a reprise of "Press Conference". When the musical's national tour began in 1983, the Act II opening was changed to consist of a reprise of "Dreamgirls", and the performance of a new song, "Step on Over".
Awards and nominations
Tony Awards
Wins:
- Best Book of a Musical (Tom Eyen)
- Best Lead Actor in a Musical (Ben Harney)
- Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Jennifer Holliday)
- Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Cleavant Derricks)
- Best Choreography (Michael Bennett & Michael Peters)
- Best Lighting Design (Tharon Musser)
Nominations:
- Best Musical
- Best Director of a Musical (Michael Bennett)
- Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Sheryl Lee Ralph)
- Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Obba Babatunde)
- Best Score of a Musical (Henry Krieger & Tom Eyen)
- Best Scenic Design (Robin Wagner)
- Best Costume Design (Theoni V. Aldredge)
Drama Desk Awards
Wins:
- Best Book of a Musical (Tom Eyen)
- Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Jennifer Holliday)
- Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Cleavant Derricks)
- Best Lighting Design (Tharon Musser)
- Best Scenic Design (Robin Wagner)
Nominations:
- Best Musical
- Best Director of a Musical (Michael Bennett)
- Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Sheryl Lee Ralph)
- Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ben Harney)
- Best Lyrics (Tom Eyen)
- Best Costume Design (Theoni V. Aldredge)
Grammy Awards
- Best Cast Show Album - Winner
- Best Female Performance, R&B (Jennifer Holliday - "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going") - Winner
See also
- Dreamgirls (Original Broadway Cast Album)
- Dreamgirls
(2006 film adaptation)
- Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture
- Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme
, the 1986 autobiography of former Supremes member Mary Wilson
Notes
- Tom Eyen denied that he had the Supremes in mind when he wrote the book. "I didn’t grow up with the Supremes, I grew up with the Shirelles. ''Dreamgirls'' isn’t about any one group. It’s a cavalcade of black Motown singers, ...all larger than life." retrieved February 27, 2007
- ''One Singular Sensation: The Michael Bennett Story'', by Kevin Kelly, Doubleday, 1990
- Hill, Jeremy. "Pre-Broadway. ''Dreamgirls: Your Virtual Coffee Table Book of the Musical''.
- Hetrick, Adam."Dreamgirls Tour Will Bow at Apollo Theater Nov. 7",playbill.com, March 11, 2009
- Jones, Kenneth."Dreamgirls Is a Philly Hit — and Might Have Legs; Resident Run Extends to Feb. 26",playbill.com, January 24, 2006
- Fotenot, Robert (2005). "American Idol's Jennifer Hudson as the Supremes' Florence Ballard?" Retrieved from http://oldies.about.com/b/a/220110.htm?terms=jennifer+holliday on November 11, 2006.
- Hill, Jeremy. "Film Version (2006): History". ''Dreamgirls: Your Virtual Coffee Table Book of the Musical''.
- McClintock, Pamela (Nov. 6, 2006). "D'Works takes 'Girls' on road." ''Daily Variety''. Retrieved from http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117953449.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&s=h&p=0 on November 11, 2006.
- Olsen, Mark (Dec. 12, 2006). "One stage of film's marketing is on stage". ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved from http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-et-dreamgirls12dec12,0,693678.story on December 15, 2006
References
- Tom Eyen denied that he had the Supremes in mind when he wrote the book. "I didn’t grow up with the Supremes, I grew up with the Shirelles. ''Dreamgirls'' isn’t about any one group. It’s a cavalcade of black Motown singers, ...all larger than life." retrieved February 27, 2007
- ''One Singular Sensation: The Michael Bennett Story'', by Kevin Kelly, Doubleday, 1990
- Hill, Jeremy. "Pre-Broadway. ''Dreamgirls: Your Virtual Coffee Table Book of the Musical''.
- Hetrick, Adam."Dreamgirls Tour Will Bow at Apollo Theater Nov. 7",playbill.com, March 11, 2009
- Jones, Kenneth."Dreamgirls Is a Philly Hit — and Might Have Legs; Resident Run Extends to Feb. 26",playbill.com, January 24, 2006
- Fotenot, Robert (2005). "American Idol's Jennifer Hudson as the Supremes' Florence Ballard?" Retrieved from http://oldies.about.com/b/a/220110.htm?terms=jennifer+holliday on November 11, 2006.
- Hill, Jeremy. "Film Version (2006): History". ''Dreamgirls: Your Virtual Coffee Table Book of the Musical''.
- McClintock, Pamela (Nov. 6, 2006). "D'Works takes 'Girls' on road." ''Daily Variety''. Retrieved from http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117953449.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&s=h&p=0 on November 11, 2006.
- Olsen, Mark (Dec. 12, 2006). "One stage of film's marketing is on stage". ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved from http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-et-dreamgirls12dec12,0,693678.story on December 15, 2006