Walnut Street Theatre – Philadelphia, PA
This was the first time I saw “Dreamgirls” and I am honestly quite ignorant on the subject of The Dreams (and on a lot of music in general), so I went into this show expecting to know a minimal number of the songs.
By intermission, I realised that I am only familiar with one song (“(And I’m Telling You) I’m Not Going”) and I could not be more blown away with the performance of that song. Effie White (played by Aveena Saywer) was obviously a stand out singer from the start of the show, but the passion, the anger, the desperation to prove herself shined through so much more than her physical voice alone. Her ability to throw herself into and onto the table as she belted her way through that song ended with her getting a (well deserved) standing ovation despite the scene not having ended yet.
By the curtain call, I realised that was the only song I already knew in the entire show.
This show has it all: high intensity dance numbers, a fabulous musical score, a cast that can belt to their hearts content with remarkable control of their vocal abilities, and the raw emotion needed for these characters. “Dreamgirls”, it would seem, is extraordinary at showcasing each actors’ singing, dancing, and acting abilities. However, this cast took it one step further; they made it look like it was done with ease.
Well done.