Is London's Dreamgirls heading for Broadway in 2018?

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

According to a recent Equity casting notice, it looks like the current West End premiere production of Dreamgirls, directed and choregographed by Tony winner Casey Nicholaw, is eyeing a 2018 official opening on the Great White Way.

The West End premiere of Dreamgirls began previews at London's Savoy Theatre on November 19, 2016 and officially opened on December 14 to excellent reviews. Click HERE to read our review on our London Theatre Guide.

The cast of the London production includes "Glee" and "The Wiz Live" star Amber Riley, making her West End debut as Effie White, alongside Liisi LaFontaine (Deena), Ibinabo Jack (Lorrell), Joe Aaron Reid (Curtis Taylor Jnr), Tyrone Huntley (C.C White), Adam J. Bernard (Jimmy), Nicholas Bailey (Marty), and Lily Frazer (Michelle Morris).

The London production also features scenic design by Tim Hatley, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Hugh Vanstone, and sound design by Richard Brooker.

The production also incorporates a re-worked version of musical number "Listen," originally written for the 2006 film adaptation and performed by Beyoncé.

Dreamgirls features music by Henry Krieger and a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen. The musical originally premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre, officially opening on December 20, and earned a total of 13 Tony Award nominations in 1982. It picked up 6 wins, including "Best Book of a Musical" (Tom Eyen), "Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical" (Jennifer Holliday), "Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical" (Ben Harney), "Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical" (Cleavant Derricks), "Best Lighting Design" (Tharon Musser) and "Best Choreography" (Michael Bennett and Michael Peters).

A short-lived Broadway revival was staged at the Ambassador Theatre from June to November 1987 and two National Tours were launched in 1997 and 2009.

 

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