Dreamgirls – Milton Keynes Theatre and Touring

Picture: MattCrockett

Dreamgirls continues at the Milton Keynes Theatre until 5 February 2022 and then tours until 31 December 2022.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

However enjoyable, it doesn’t take long for some musicals to begin to feel a bit dated, but Dreamgirls (opened on Broadway in 1981) just seems to get better with time – as long as there is a cast as good as this one to bring Henry Krieger’s score and Tom Eyen’s book and lyrics alive.

From the very first note, the audience is transported to a 1960s New York talent show and a music scene inspired by the likes of The Supremes and James Brown. However, in this case our focus is drawn to the young and innocent hopefuls Deena (Natalie Kassanga), Effie (for this performance, Sharlene Hector) and Lorrell (Paige Peddie) – also known as the Dreamettes (later renamed The Dreams by their uber ambitious and controlling manager, Dom Hartley-Harris’ Curtis Taylor Jr.).

Fans of the stage show and the successful 2006 movie will know that while dreams do really start coming true for the talented trio, backing the lifeforce that is Jimmy ‘Thunder’ Early (Brandon Lee Sears), cracks begin to show in friendships and relationships by the end of Act I. Indeed director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw’s excellent production doesn’t shy away from tackling the seedier side of the music business hidden beneath the glitz and glamour.

What is outstanding in this touring production is the storytelling. Helped by the slick dramatic flow from scene to scene which is pretty crucial to how the libretto pans out, these performers know how to draw us into their characters through dialogue and song.

There simply isn’t a weak link when it comes to the principal roles and the vocals across the board are off the chart (duets like ‘When I First Saw You’ and ‘Listen’ are gorgeous highlights).

Kassanga makes an excellent homecoming to Milton Keynes as Deena, the outwardly confident pop star who is struggling not to ‘lose herself’ amidst all her success. Scenes with Hartley-Harris, who proves to be an all-round class act in the tricky role of Curtis, are pretty powerful.

Throughout the whole evening Peddie consistently gives an infectious performance as Lorrell but takes it to another level when she vents her intense frustration at unmarried life in Act II. Her paramour, Lee Sears’ Jimmy, is also feeling frustrated, this time with the direction his career is going, but when let off the leash musically and choreographically he is like a man possessed and it is a wonder to behold.

Omari James also impresses as Effie’s brother and songwriter C.C White (once again providing some memorable vocals), while Jo Servi in the role of Marty and Brianna Ogunbawo as Dreams member Michelle certainly deserve a mention too.

There is always a certain pressure on any actress playing Effie, not least because she gets to perform some of the show’s most memorable songs, notably the epic ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’. Hector does not disappoint, not just because she has the vocal power to bring it home, but because she also tells a story emotionally with how she sings every line of the lyric. Goosebumps on goosebumps.

Alongside the main players, there is a hardworking, energetic fine ensemble, with several artists zooming from one role to another. Perhaps the group choreography could be a little tighter and more coordinated at times, but that is me being picky.

While not quite as spangly as its West End predecessor, the collaboration between set and costume designer Tim Hatley and lighting designer Hugh Vanstone ensures an effective evocation of the era plus excellent free-flowing transitions between the darkness of the backstage world and the vibrant colour of the onstage routines. Credit also goes to the talented musicians in the pit, led by musical director Simona Budd.

On top of the fact that it has been another hugely challenging start to the year, the arts will be suffering for a long time yet from the repercussions of 24 months of lockdown, on and off. To sit in an auditorium immersed in a high-quality, large-scale touring production of a musical is something I will never take for granted again.

Lisa Martland