{"id":835,"date":"2010-03-15T12:11:30","date_gmt":"2010-03-15T16:11:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/?p=835"},"modified":"2010-03-15T12:11:30","modified_gmt":"2010-03-15T16:11:30","slug":"theatre-dreamgirls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/theatre-dreamgirls\/","title":{"rendered":"THEATRE: DREAMGIRLS"},"content":{"rendered":"

DREAMGIRLS<\/em><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sorry that I haven\u2019t been posting daily for about a month, but my recent back problem is so serious that it hurts to type. Plus, it\u2019s giving me a brain-cramp, so I can\u2019t even think! But with rest, ice, and ibuprofen, I\u2019m coming around enough to write again. I even managed, with lots of difficulty, to go out twice because I really didn\u2019t want to miss two very special events.<\/p>\n

One was Adam Lambert\u2019s recent concert, and the other was the opening of the iconic musical Dreamgirls<\/em> at the Ahamanson Theatre. Both made me grateful that I was recovered enough to go out for a few hours. Adam\u2019s review will appear at a later date, but now let me tell you about Dreamgirls<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo by Joan Marcus.<\/p><\/div>\n

I can\u2019t imagine that there\u2019s anyone out there who doesn\u2019t know that the show is about a Supremes-like group in the early 60s, and the man who manipulates them all. I\u2019m assuming everyone has seen the Jennifer Hudson-Beyonce-Eddie Murphy screen version that came out three years ago and earned Jennifer her Oscar, so I don\u2019t need to go into details of the story. (If you\u2019re one of the few who hasn\u2019t, please Google it.)<\/p>\n

This production was wonderful on all levels: music, costumes, performances, choreography, even the mainly bare set that made great use of a multi-sectioned screen. The star role is always that of the overweight, pushed-aside lead singer, Effie White. No actor can overshadow it with her big numbers, I\u2019m Not Going <\/em>and I Am Changing<\/em>. The newcomer who played her in this production, Moya Angela, was excellent, but I always feel that no one comes close to the original, Jennifer Holliday, who stunned the Broadway world back in the 80s, with her audible-sobs-inducing performance. I feel like everyone is just trying to copy her, down to the grunts. But for audience members who\u2019ve never seen the show before, these numbers are show-stoppers.<\/p>\n

\"Photo

Photo by Joan Marcus<\/p><\/div>\n

The person who stole the show for me, though, was Chester Gregory as James Thunder Early, a firstly popular and then fading R&B singer. (It\u2019s the role that Eddie Murphy played in the film, for you non-Broadway types.) He was simply wonderful on every level. He sang great, was funny when appropriate, and his dance moves were awe-inspiring. (Perhaps Shane Sparks\u2019 choreography had something to do with that part, but I don\u2019t know.)<\/p>\n

The surprise of the night was Syesha Mercado, as the lead singer of the girl group. She had come in third in the American Idol <\/em>season that featured \u201cthe two Davids.\u201d She was pretty awful on the show, and went that far only because she wound-up next-to-last <\/em>most of the time, and, luckily for her, there was a new bottom person each week, so she kept being spared, though consistently drawing very low votes. So, she lucked into that third spot, but it ended there for her.<\/p>\n

\"Syesha

Syesha Mercado<\/p><\/div>\n

Back then, (two seasons ago,) she was pretty and skinny and looked great in just about every type of outfit, but seemed un-deservedly full of herself, and didn\u2019t sing well. To use Simon Cowell\u2019s favorite word, she was forgettable. So much so that I, an expert on all things Idol<\/em>, and someone who\u2019s (knock on wood) blessed with an incredible memory, could never remember her name after that season.<\/p>\n

Jump ahead to the present, and here Syesha is, starring as the glamorous one in Dreamgirls<\/em> at the Ahmanson. (BTW–this same cast just came off a brief run at the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem, which kicked-off this National Tour.) And she\u2019s great!!! Who knew??? She still pretty, and skinny, and the perfect body-type to show off all of costume designer William Ivey Long\u2019s creations. But now she can sing, as well! I was actually really happy for her.<\/p>\n

One production note–the stage show has significant differences from the movie, but keep in mind that the theatre version is the original. Though I\u2019m a stickler for originals, in all aspects of life, I was happy to see that this new production kept the song \u201cListen\u201d that was written for Beyonce to sing in the film, to give her more of a star moment than the way that the Deena Jones character is written.<\/p>\n

Since this was opening night, there were some celebs and an after-party. Jordan Sparks, also of Idol<\/em> fame, (but a different season), was there with her gorgeous mom, who looked about ten years younger than her daughter!!! But, shamefully, they both wore jeans\u2026to an opening night!!! They should both know better than that. (Everyone<\/em> should!)<\/p>\n

The party took place at a new-ish downtown venue, J Restaurant and Lounge, on Olive Street, and luckily for my crutches-assisted legs, had couches on the outdoor patio, where most everyone congregated. Had I been feeling better, I would have definitely explored the interior and second-floor club, but I was happy to stay put on the comfy couch, especially since the cheery servers very kindly made sure that I got all the passed treats to sample.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Brittany

Brittany Lewis<\/p><\/div>\n

The highlight of the party for me, though, was sitting with a lovely girl from the ensemble, Brittany Lewis, and her devoted mom. She\u2019s a personable young lady who appears to have her head on straight, and seems grateful to have made it this far in a super-hard business. She\u2019s pretty young, but was able to fully express her appreciation for the Broadway scene, including the history of it, and the people who came before. So often, people in their 20s are ignorant of the pioneers in their chosen field and feel that they know it all. It was refreshing to hear what Brittany had to say, and also to see her be so inclusive of her shy mother at the soiree, when she could have just partied with the starry crowd. I wish her a long and successful career. And may she never encounter the troubles that the fictional \u201cDreamgirls\u201d do!<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
Dreamgirls<\/em> running through April4, 2010\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ahmanson\u00a0Theatre 135 N. Grand Ave. 213-972-4400 www.CenterTheatreGroup.org<\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DREAMGIRLS   Sorry that I haven\u2019t been posting daily for about a month, but my recent back problem is so serious that it hurts to type. Plus, it\u2019s giving me a brain-cramp, so I can\u2019t even think! But with rest, ice, and ibuprofen, I\u2019m coming around enough to write again. I even managed, with lots<\/p>\n

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