Amber Riley Talks Auditioning for London's DREAMGIRLS, Vocal Surgery and More

Following last month's big news that GLEE and THE WIZ LIVE!'s Amber Riley will star as 'Effie' in the UK debut of DREAMGIRLS this winter, the star sat down with the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye to discuss her journey to the iconic role.

Riley, who performed the signature tunes "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "I Am Changing" from DREAMGIRLS while playing 'Mercedes Jones' on FOX's GLEE, is making her West End debut.

"I remember when I did And I'm Telling You... on Glee. It's such a huge song that after I recorded it - several times - at the very last note my legs gave out. You use your entire body," Riley told the Mail.

She'll have to stay in top form to tackle the melodies onstage in London, especially after undergoing vocal surgery right before her audition for the production.

"I went through vocal surgery, which I needed after years and years of singing and recording and tiring myself out. They found two nodules on my cords," Riley said. "And, of course, a couple of weeks after that was done, they call and say: 'Hey! They'd love you to come in and sing Effie White!!'" She asked if they could wait two weeks, and when she did audition, she had producer Sonia Friedman in tears because of the "emotion and passion she put into the number."

Riley told Bamigboye she feels she understands Effie. "I'm not sure if it's life imitating art or art imitating life, but I understand something of what Effie was going through. I do know being a black woman who is plus-sized in Hollywood, you're going to face more rejection than acceptance," she said.

According to the Mail, the musical will begin previews November 19 leading up to a December 14 opening night at the Savoy Theatre. General tickets go on sale April 1.

Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin, Something Rotten!) will helm and choreograph the production, which will be produced by Sonia Friedman Productions.

With book and lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger, the original Broadway production of DREAMGIRLS, directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, opened in 1981. The London show will open more than three decades after the original show, which starred Jennifer Holliday as 'Effie'. It won six 1982 Tony Awards, for Best Book (Tom Eyen), Best Actor (Ben Harney), Best Actress (Holliday), Best Featured Actor (Cleavant Derricks), Best Lighting Design (Tharon Musser), and Best Choreography (Bennett & Michael Peters).

Inspired by R&B music acts in 1960s America, DREAMGIRLS transports you to a revolutionary time in American music history. DREAMGIRLS charts the tumultuous journey of a young female singing trio, from Chicago, Illinois called 'The Dreams', as they learn the hard lesson that show business is as tough as it is fabulous and features the classic songs 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going', 'I Am Changing' and 'One Night Only'.

For more information, visit www.dreamgirlswestend.com.

Photo of Amber Riley on GLEE by Adam Rose/FOX.