Producer John Breglio and the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc. announced today that the national tour of the smash hit musical Dreamgirls will premiere at the legendary Apollo Theater (253 West 125 Street) in November 2009, for a limited engagement. Dreamgirls will be a highlight of the Apollo Theater's 75th Anniversary celebration in 2009. Tickets for Dreamgirls at the Apollo Theater go on sale Monday, January 26, 2009, at 10am, and will be available at the Apollo Theater box office, all Ticketmaster locations and Ticketmaster.com/apollotheater. In addition on Saturday, November 22, 2008, Dreamgirls will hold open auditions at the Apollo Theater to cast The Dreams (Deena Jones, Lorrell Robinson and Effie White) for this national tour.
Dreamgirls is directed and choreographed by Bobby Longbottom with co-choreography by Shane Sparks, scenic design by Robin Wagner, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington, and is produced by John Breglio for Vienna Waits Productions.
"The opening scene in Dreamgirls takes place in the legendary Apollo Theatre, so it is only fitting that we are launching the national tour at this historic venue", said producer John Breglio. "The prospect that we may discover the new Dreams at the Apollo, where so many stars were discovered, just adds to our excitement in bringing this great musical back to the stage."
"From Ella Fitzgerald to the Jackson Five to Lauryn Hill, and beyond, the Apollo's legacy as a resource for artists, across genres and generations - and as a platform for the artistic heritage of American culture, continues to be unmatched," said Jonelle Procope, President and CEO, Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc. "We are thrilled to host the premiere of the Dreamgirls national tour, which is so emblematic of what the Apollo stands for and so magically captures the spirit of this Theater."
Dreamgirls is the story of a young female singing trio from Chicago, and their rocky road to superstardom. The original Broadway production of Dreamgirls opened December 20, 1981 at the Imperial Theatre and won six 1982 Tony Awards. Dreamgirls closed on Broadway August 11, 1985, after 1,522 performances. Dreamgirls features music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. The original Broadway production was directed by Michael Bennett and choreographed by Bennett and Michael Peters. Dreamgirls was adapted into a motion picture by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, and opened in December 2006.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in cultivating artists and in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul and hip-hop. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D'Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo's stage. Based on its cultural significance and architecture, the Apollo Theater received state and city landmark designation in 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Apollo Theater Foundation was established as a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit corporation in 1991 and is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Apollo Theater. The historic venue hosts major concerts and special events and continues its tradition of discovering future stars with its weekly installment of Apollo Amateur Night every Wednesday night. Harlem is Manhattan's third most popular tourist destination and the Apollo remains Harlem's top attraction, drawing 1.3 million visitors annually.
