10 Thoughts Whilst Watching Dreamgirls, London.
Dreamgirls is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best musicals I have seen, it completely blew me away and I've been having post-show blues ever since. It's been 35 years after it opened on Broadway and 10 years after the movie adaptation was released, it starred Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson, making it one of my favourite musical films ever. I've waited for this musical to make its way into my country for years, all I had was the incredible film and soundtrack so when I had the chance to take my mum and see it for myself, I had to prepare myself for an unforgettable experience. Being performed at The Savoy Theatre it has an impressive cast including Glee's Amber Riley, I couldn't wait to see this girl in action after loving Glee for years.
The musical follows the career of The Dreamettes, a black girl trio act from Chicago, loosely based on The Supremes, who rise to fame and fortune during the 1960s. This isn't before their incredibly ambitious manager, Curtis Taylor Jr - a Detroit used car salesman turned Svengali. He has renamed the trio The Dreams and replaced the ferociously talented and feisty Effie White as both lead singer and his lover with her Dream sister and childhood friend, Deena Jones. It's a really powerful story of how black composers and performers had to compromise their artistic talent to be able to be amongst a chance of getting into the mainstream music scene.
I've chosen for this review to opt to give you 10 Thoughts I had whilst watching Dreamgirls, complete with GIFS because these were genuine emotions I experienced whilst watching the fab musical.
01. Oh my god, the show is starting, will Amber Riley be performing as Effie White..
02. Well isn't Joe Aaron Reid good looking?! Also incredible voice!
04. Casey Nicholaw's choreography is absolutely flawless and really works well with the era and context.
05. The Dreamgirls have just came out singing their song as The Dreams, their costumes are absolutely incredible! Having Swarovski as the Costume and Set Design partner is a bloody great combination, so much sparkle!
06. Ok Adam J. Bernard playing Jimmy Early is such a great casting choice, he is so good and has flawless vocals as well as movement. I absolutely love his energy.
07. Amber Reily just sang 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' and I'm an emotional mess, so are the ladies and my mum sat next to me. She is bloody incredible, must pull myself together after this 20 minute interval or I won't be able to watch the rest of the show.
08. Ok well the second half was just as good as the first half, love love loved the vocals from the likes of Liisi Lafontaine who is a performer I'd love to see more of. Also Ibinabo Robinson just kicked ass in her solo song, so much sass!
09. Amber Reilly has just smashed One Night Only, absolutely smashed it. I'm nearly in tears again, it's nearly the end of the show, why does it have to end?
10. It's all over, there's a standing ovation and I'm now an emotional mess. Such a gorgeous production, from the set design and the costumes to the incredibly strong cast who are just as strong and passionate about this performance as the production team.
I would seriously urge you all to make sure you see Dreamgirls in London whilst you can. Hope you enjoyed this new idea of reviewing a performance!