Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre will stage a new revival of Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen's Dreamgirls March 25–May 4, with opening night set for April 2. Gerry McIntyre will direct and choreograph.
Aveena Sawyer will lead the cast as Effie White, with Gabrielle Beckford as Denna Jones, Khalifa White as Lorrell Robinson, Chali Cooke as Michelle, E. Clayton Cornelious as James "Thunder" Early, Jarran Muse as Curtis Taylor Jr., Devin L. Roberts as C.C. White, and Forrest McClendon as Marty.
The cast will also include Anne Bragg, Cornelius Davis, Bonnie Kelly, Andrew Leggieri, Zummy Mohammed, Dana Orange, Sierra Wilson, Ian Coulter-Buford, Adeleke Goring, Fairin Hightower, Taylor J. Mitchell, Monique Streety, Derek Walton, and Karley Purnell.
Originally premiering on Broadway in 1981, Dreamgirls follows a 1960s Supremes-like girl group as they go from obscurity to international fame, while finding the road to success can be thornier than expected. Original Broadway Effie Jennifer Holliday won a Tony Award for her performance, and a 2006 film adaptation won Jennifer Hudson an Academy Award for her take on the role.
McIntyre's creative team includes music director Chris Burcheri, scenic designer Andy Walmsley, lighting designer Jose Santiago, sound designer Ed Chapman, costume designer Dustin Cross, and wig and makeup designer Destinee Steele.
Tickets are at WalnutStreetTheatre.org.
