Review: Dreamgirls

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Dreamgirls.
Dreamgirls had been on the top of my West End Wishlist for quite some time, so I was delighted when I was able to get a great last minute deal for the show. When I arrived at the Savoy Theatre, there was a sign stating: "Due to the indisposition of Amber Riley, the role of Effie White will be played by Marisha Wallace". I was a little wary of this at first, especially due to Amber's recent Olivier Award win. However, there was absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Marisha Wallace is a sublime Effie White, she does wonders in the role! Marisha even received a standing ovation for her solo at the end of act one, "And I'm Telling You". I can guarantee that no one in the theatre will be disappointed with seeing Marisha, as opposed to Amber. She has a stunning voice that truly brings the house down! We are so lucky that Marisha was able to come from America to do the show. Funnily enough, I saw her in Something Rotten (3 times) and she played an egg that actually sung a few lines of Dreamgirls. Something Rotten predicted the future! Marisha's fellow "Dreamgirls", Liisi Lafontaine as Deena and Asmeret Ghebremichael as Lorrell, were both excellently cast. They both had terrific voices and both had a large stage presence, I cannot find any faults with either of their performances. Joe Aaron Reid absolutely nails the role of Curtis. Curtis begins as ambitious and full of dreams, ending with the character becoming deceptive and greedy. A role like this really lets Joe show off his versatility. He is a brilliant actor, singer and dancer; triple threat! I think he'd make a terrific Aaron Burr (sadly though, the cast of Dreamgirls have not been allowed to audition for Hamilton). Tyrone Huntley as C. C. White is a big standout and one of the highlights of the show. Tyrone is an extremely talented singer and funnily enough, I also think he would be a good Aaron Burr (to be honest, I think Tyrone could nail any role role in Hamilton). Ashlee Irish was playing the role of Jimmy at the performance I saw and at stage door Ashlee told me it was only his third time playing the role. I actually did not realise this until intermission, when I went to look at the cast list. I would not have known if I had not checked,as I was very impressed with his portrayal of the role. I also think he will become even better in the role as time goes on. On the creative side of the show, I thought the costumes were outstanding. I couldn't quite believe how sparkly they were! I was also impressed with the choreography, which was excellently performed. I also liked the orchestrations. If I'm honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of the set design. I found the set to be quite bland, which is very disappointing considering it  was the same set designer for the musical  Shrek. That doesn't take anything away from the show, but I still think it's important to highlight.

The featured star of Dreamgirls is, drum roll please... MARISHA WALLACE!

I've used to say in a lot of my old reviews that understudies were under appreciated, but it is thanks to people like Marisha that understudies are really becoming recognised for their hard work nowadays. Perhaps once Amber leaves the show, Marisha will step in to fill her shoes permanently? Who knows what the future may bring!

Now for my final verdict on Dreamgirls. I give Dreamgirls...

Originally I was wondering whether to give Dreamgirls 5 stars, but it's not quite up there with my all time favourites so I feel this production deserved 4 stars. 

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer