She's Telling Us! West End-Bound DREAMGIRLS Star Amber Riley Belts Effie's Solo
By: Jessica Khan Feb. 06, 2016
As BroadwayWorld reported just two days ago, GLEE and THE WIZ LIVE! star Amber Riley will take on the role of 'Effie' when DREAMGIRLS makes its UK debut at London's Savoy Theatre this winter. And Riley is no stranger to the musical's challenging anthems.
She had the chance to belt Effie's solo "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" as 'Mercedes Jones' in the first-season "Sectionals" episode of FOX's musical dramedy series GLEE. Watch her emotional performance below, plus listen to the full studio version!
She and fellow GLEE star Chris Colfer also recorded a version of "I Am Changing." Listen to their rendition below!
Beginning previews in November, Riley will make her West End debut in DREAMGIRLS. The actress also recently knocked viewers' socks off with her portrayal of 'Addapearle' in NBC's THE WIZ LIVE!
As previously reported, Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin, Something Rotten!) will helm and choreograph DREAMGIRLS, produced by Sonia Friedman, at the Savoy.
The London production will open more than three decades after the original Broadway production, which was directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett and 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).
Bill Condon's 2006 film adaptation of DREAMGIRLS featured Jennifer Hudson as 'Effie'.
DREAMGIRLS has music by Henry Krieger and book & lyrics by Tom Eyen. Inspired by R&B music acts in 1960s America, DREAMGIRLS transports you to a revolutionary time in American music history. The musical 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."
Videos