Top Ten Tony Award Moments: #4 DREAMGIRLS

Today, we are taking a look at a clip from the 1982 Tony Awards and one of that season's hottest and most acclaimed shows, the rightfully unforgettable DREAMGIRLS directed by Michael Bennett. In this clip we can surely see why Jennifer Holliday earned her Best Actress In A Musical trophy and why Michael Bennett's Tony-winning musical staging is so well-remembered to this very day. No musical looked quite like this before...

DREAMGIRLS was groundbreaking in a number of ways, not the least of which was it's highly stylized and simple computer-controlled set and lighting system which was considered exceedingly ahead of its time then and still remains truly striking and idiosyncratic. Performing the entire Act One Finale, each member of the cast of the show - which also features Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine, Cleavant Derricks, Obba Babtunde and others - gets a moment to shine in this Bennett-directed and staged specifically for the Tony Awards performance of the show's most classic material. Jennifer Holliday is simply a force of nature and perhaps you can see why it took nearly thirty years for Hollywood to come up with someone who could equal the otherworldly power Holliday so obviously possesses as exhibited in this exceptional clip. NINE may have won Best Musical and Best Score that season, but Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen created something truly unique and accomplished in their true pop opera score. Holliday is a Christmas Tree fully decorated with beautifully wrapped gifts below and a shining star on top as far as similes go in reference to her performance here.

That's all for today, be sure to stay tuned to BroadwayWorld everyday until Tony Award Sunday for all Tony Award-related news, articles, interviews and digital media. ‘Til tomorrow...