Review: CFTA's Remarkable DREAMGIRLS

It's the very nature of flight, made possible by theater that renders an artistic life most compelling - the creation of an ethereal world via the imagination that is completely real and affecting at one moment, only to vanish the next - the sense of temporary transformation of our real world into one that holds us in its thrall for however long, but which will assuredly live on in our hearts and minds until supplanted by the next great artistic achievement we witness. It's awe-inspiring, to be certain, and that's why we return to a darkened auditorium time after time, to allow our minds to soar, and to revisit the same works now and again in order to see how different artists recreate the same or similar art. The ephemeral nature of theater propels us ever-forward, in search of the next shiny object that will captivate us until we turn our attention elsewhere...

To be quite frank, I've been in love with the characters found in Dreamgirls, the musical originally conceived, directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett (with book and lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger) that debuted on Broadway in 1980, from the very beginning: I have been caught up in the story and its memorable score; I clearly remember the first time I saw it onstage, the very moment I was transfixed by Jennifer Holliday's wondrous portrayal of Effie Melody White (the musical's anti-heroine) and the acclaim heaped upon Dreamgirls in the intervening years, including the film treatment (which remains, in my mind, one of the best transfers of a Broaway musical to the silver screen) and subsequent regional mountings of the show.

All of these feelings and thoughts, memories and concerns bring me to now - the moment in time during which I attempt to translate the visceral feeling I had when watching the newest revival of Dreamgirls onstage at Murfreesboro's Center for the Arts. It only runs through tomorrow afternoon at the theatre just over half-an-hour from Nashville and it is more or less sold-out, I am assured, so this review is more to commit my thoughts to posterity, I suppose, than it is to help a worthy production sell more tickets and to introduce to my readers some of the finest performers I've seen onstage during a lengthy career of theatrical criticism. My boundless enthusiasm and music-fueled jingoism is thus mitigated by the tick-tock of a clock speeding toward the final curtain.

Do I run the risk of overselling the show? Do I sound horrifically self-important? Yes, to both questions, but who the hell cares? I have a bully pulpit and I will use it today to praise artistic effort. But because I have loved Dreamgirls from its very beginnings, I feel justified in lauding said critical praise and excited overreaction upon the cast, crew and creative team of the best show I've ever seen on a Murfreesboro stage. Seriously, the very best - and there is no exaggeration to be found in that statement.

Directed with confidence by a young director - Matthew Hayes Hunter, who was a 2013 First Night Most Promising Actor - and performed by an eager and energetic cast (led by a quartet of extraordinary actresses portraying the four Dreams and another First Night MPA [who very nearly steals the entire production right out from under everyone else onstage] in the role of James "Thunder" Early - CFTA's Dreamgirls delights its audience from the beginning, engaging them with focused performances that come from the heart to inspire and entertain.

Hunter's vision for Dreamgirls is genuinely heartfelt and it succeeds beautifully even despite its shortcomings - there are sound issues, some performers can't seem to find their light for the love of God, and as in most community theater productions, some members of the ensemble fare less successfully than others (let's face it, the wide range of talent on display in a community theater production only makes the theatrical adventure more compelling). But what remains and what really works in this Dreamgirls is the sheer will that exists to bring the story to life with a kind of "rough around the edges" sense of heightened reality that challenges the actors to deliver more than they thought themselves capable of when rehearsals started and a grittiness that draws the audience deeper into the story.

The result is an amazingly transportive night of theater that's stunning in its own unique way and staggering in the sense of storytelling that is exposed onstage. Like all good theater, Hayes' and company's Dreamgirls is exuberant and exhilarating, certain to make your heart start pumping out a beat in time with the Tom Eyen-Henry Krieger score.

Hayes' direction, along with musical direction by Emily Dennis (who conducts a five-member band through the score - how delightful is it to hear live musicians playing the score instead of musical tracks accompanying the singers? However, it should be noted that the musicians sometimes overplay, the volume of the music drowning out even the most experienced singers) and Tosha Pendergrast's expressive choreography that provides the perfect steps (inspired by performances of pop and R&B music of the 1960s and '70s), create an altogether separate and believable theatrical world in which the story of Effie, Deena, Lorell and the men who people their lives can be told.

Robbyn "Vyrgo" Daniel stars as Effie, the fiery, self-possessed leader of the teenaged Dreamettes who ultimately finds herself cut off from her creative life's blood when she is replaced as the group's lead singer by her best friend, Deena Jones. Daniel's mesmerizing performance reaches its zenith with her Act One performance of "And I Am Telling You, I'm Not Going" which will initially have you thinking it's the best rendition of the song you've ever heard. But like every other diva who has come before her, Daniel takes on her own challenge to herself with the second act performance of "I Am Changing" that may well be even better and more electrifying. Throughout the show, Daniel creates a stunning arc for Effie's personal growth, her portrayal growing in intensity and honesty in the process.

Ra'Shaun Simon is ideally cast as Deena, more than holding her own against Daniel's Effie, to create a character who may be rather unlikable, ensuring that audiences will take her into their hearts over the course of the 20-some years covered in the play. Simon's Act Two duet with Daniel - "Listen," interpolated from the film score of Dreamgirls - is emotional and moving, as the two women sing through the recriminations of a friendship gone wrong, showing us musically what years of retributions and unspoken heartache can mean.

Perhaps surprisingly, Brianna Booker as Lorell Robinson somehow manages to deliver the production's most searing performance. Lorell often recedes into the background, as might be expected; after all, she's a backup singer who knows all too well her place on the team. However, when given the opportunity, Booker seizes it to show us the multi-dimensional Lorell to perfection, dramatically etching a memorable performance in the process.

By that same turn, Brittany Easley - as Dreams' newcomer Michelle Morris - makes what is more than a cameo appearance something much more vital and necessary in her superb performance.

Yet, it's Gerold Oliver who proves he is the hardest working man in Murfreesboro theater (if not the world), who very nearly steals the show with his theatrical portrayal of James "Thunder" Early that has audiences reacting with over-the-top ovations and applause. Oliver walks a very fine line in creating a Jimmy Early who borders on a cartoonish caricature while remaining completely honest and accessible. The four leading ladies of Dreamgirls more than have their work cut out for them in competition with Oliver's frenetic Jimmy.

Bentley Caldwell cuts a dashing and commanding figure as Curtis Taylor Jr., breaking hearts and crushing ambitions along the way. Gillion Welsh is fine as C.C. White, Effie's songwriting brother, and Marlon Woods is intriguing as Marty, the manager who is fired early on only to return as Effie's savior.

• Dreamgirls. Book and lyrics by Tom Eyen. Music by Henry Krieger. Original Brodway Production directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett. Directed by Matthew Hayes Hunter. Musical direction by Emily Dennis. Choreography by Tosha Pendergrast. Presented by The Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro. Running through February 28. Running time: 3 hours (with one 15-minute intermission).

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