And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going!

And so, here we are - this is the final musical write up from my holiday to London - and what a BANG to end this on! Finishing on the Strand, I went along to the beautiful Savoy Theatre for this one (the last time I was here was for the incredible Gypsy starring Imelda Staunton). In case you haven't realised yet, time to get excited because this last one is for Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen's Dreamgirls , directed by Casey Nicholaw (Aladdin) - one I have waited to see for a long time (and as it is closing in January, one I cannot afford to wait much longer for). 

Set in the 1960s and 70s, it follows 3 friends (Effie White, Deena Jones and Lorrell Robinson and their group The Dreamettes, later the Dreams) as they try to make it big in the music industry. Throughout the course of the story, their friendships are tested as their scheming manager, Curtis Taylor Jr, pulls the strings behind the scenes and does whatever it takes to ensure the Dreams cross over into the mainstream charts. It is rumoured to be based off the story of The Supremes. 

It has been a very long wait for UK fans of this very popular musical, as it only arrived in London in late 2016, after having its original run in 1981 on Broadway. It won 6 Tonys including one for its star, the great Jennifer Holliday. Dreamgirls was also adapted for the screen in 2006, starring Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Anika Noni Rose and more, winning 2 Oscars, while this London version has won 2 Oliviers for Amber Riley (Effie) and Adam J Bernard (Jimmy) - both of whom have unfortunately left, but the production still sparkles as bright as the rhinestones on the Dreams' costumes.

Let's head into the incredible cast tackling this incredibly challenging show, both vocally and in the acting department. 

Marisha Wallace (Effie)

Since Riley left, 3 actresses have been sharing the role of Effie White - and for this performance, was (to be honest) my first choice - Marisha Wallace. She was INSANE!!! I don't think there was any other way to describe it; and I don't know how much she air she was holding in her diaphragm, but she was singing Effie's big numbers like Move, I Am Changing and One Night Only as simply as they were nursery rhymes. Her And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (one of the ultimate Act 1 closers) got a standing ovation - and let me tell you it is can be rare to see that in any show, let alone one before the final bows. If you catch either the other Effies, Moya Angela or Karen Mav, I'm sure you'll also have a great time, but Wallace is just incredible.

As the other two Dreamgirls, Brennyn Lark as Deena Jones has a journey almost as big as Effie, going from shy backing vocalist to star lead to powerhouse by the time Listen comes around; plus she's absolutely beautiful! Rounding out The Dreams is Ashmeret Ghebremichael as the confident and sassy Lorrell - let's just say she's the one providing most of the laughs in the show, and as the final Dream Michelle Morris (who is possibly the smallest part in the show), the young Emma Lousie Jones (u/s) deserves a quick mention. 

Now, onto the boys, sweet Durone Stokes plays the naïve CC White, Effie's song-writing brother who gets swept up in Curtis' ideas for a new sound but still tries to help Effie out when he can; on the other side is Kirk Patterson (u/s) as Marty, Jimmy's manager who is suspicious of Curtis from the start. 

For Curtis himself, we had Ryan Reid (u/s), who I also saw in In The Heights. His version was impulsive and had a very short fuse; to be honest, I felt he needed to be a bit more smooth and calculating (what I liked about Jamie Foxx in the film). Don't get me wrong, Reid is a great actor, it's just I preferred him as Benny than I did as Curtis. 

Finishing off the cast is Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton as James "Thunder" Early, who was fantastic, funny, and tragic towards the end. He has incredible charisma, and had pretty good chemistry with Ghebremichael as Lorrell.

My view for the show - Dress Circle Row F

I need to finish this review by giving a word of thanks; and this needs to go to the Front of House. All the staff at all the theatres I've been to have been very friendly and welcoming, but I need to give the Dreamgirls staff an extra mention because they updated my seat! After originally booking the top tier (because it's cheaper) and finding the correct door for that tier, I was told they had done some shuffling and instead given me the middle of row F in the Dress Circle - I'm sure you can tell by the picture that this was a fantastic view - in fact, by far the best I've had all trip, so thank you Team Dreamgirls for doing that.

I was so glad, I chose to see Dreamgirls last on my holiday, as it meant it truly went out with a BANG! And like Wicked, I chose to find the stage door and got my programme signed by some of the cast, including Marisha Wallace! Dreamgirls has announced a UK tour following its closure but with venues and dates yet to be announced. If you're therefore like me and cannot wait until then to see it, then go as soon as you can, as it is closing in January. I would especially recommend this if you are a fan of Motown and other soul music from that era.

I have also just realised that Dreamgirls is also my 100th post on this blog - what a show for the 100th to be! =D