DREAMGIRLS to Play TPAC, 10/26

Producer John Breglio and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center announced today that tickets for the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS will go on sale September 10 at 10 AM. Ticket prices range from $27.50 to $72.50 and will be available at the TPAC box office 505 Deaderick Street, Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Greenhills, by visiting tpac.org, or by calling 615-782-4040. Group orders of 20 or more may be placed by calling 615-782-7060.

Full of onstage joy and backstage drama, DREAMGIRLS tells the story of an up-and-coming, 1960s singing girl group, and the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune. Hopeful talents Deena Jones, Lorrell Robinson and Effie White are performing as The Dreamettes when ambitious agent Curtis Taylor, Jr. discovers them. He lands them a job as backup singers for the soul and rock ‘n' roll sensation James "Thunder" Early and begins to guide their quickly rising career. However, when the beautiful Deena emerges as the star of the group rather than the full-voiced Effie, the girls are brought to personal and professional crossroads.

DREAMGIRLS will introduce Moya Angela as Effie White and feature, as The Dreams, Syesha Mercado as Deena Jones, Adrienne Warren as Lorrell Robinson, and Margaret Hoffman as Michelle Morris with Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Curtis Taylor, Jr., Chester Gregory is James "Thunder" Early, Trevon Davis as C.C. White, Milton Craig Nealy as Marty Madison. At certain performances, Patrice Covington plays the role of Effie White. The cast of 26 also features Tallia Brinson, Felicia Boswell, Ronald Duncan, Talitha Farrow, Brittney Griffin, Robert Hartwell, Jared Joseph, Nikki Kimbrough, Grasan Kingsberry, Douglas Lyons, Kimberly Marable, Jarran Muse, Amaker Smith, Marc Spaulding, Terrance Lemar Thomas and Timothy Ware.

DREAMGIRLS is directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom with co-choreography by Shane Sparks, scenic design by Robin Wagner, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by ACME Sound Partners, and media design by Howard Werner for Lightswitch. DREAMGIRLS features music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen with additional material by Willie Reale. DREAMGIRLS is produced by John Breglio for Vienna Waits Productions.

The original Broadway production of DREAMGIRLS opened December 20, 1981, at the Imperial Theatre and won six Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards in 1982. It closed on Broadway August 11, 1985, after 1,521 performances. 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. The film won two Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2007 in addition to a Grammy Award for Best Song written for a Motion Picture ("Love You I Do"). The most popular song from the film, "Listen," has been incorporated into the new stage version of DREAMGIRLS as a stirring Act II duet for Deena and Effie. This all-new production of DREAMGIRLS premiered at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater in New York City on November 22, 2009, before embarking on an international tour.

"DREAMGIRLS is a stunning revival of the Tony Award-winner that follows the dramatic rise of a singing group," said Kathleen O'Brien, TPAC's president and CEO. "It's an exciting, original work, not loosely based on The Supremes as some have suggested. The show does have that wonderful, classic Motown sound and feel, with top talent performing a powerful blend of 1960s R&B, soul and pop. Even if you saw the movie, you'll find the live show much more exciting and magical. You are right there, in concert, with these amazing singers. We saw Dreamgirls when the tour opened at the Apollo Theater in Harlem amd were especially impressed with the staging-pure genius. Giant graphic panels and light walls are used to move the characters and audience through time and place. The costumes are sensational! Audiences will be amazed at how quickly and how often the performers change the 578 different costumes seen in the show."

DREAMGIRLS will play October 26 through 31 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; 8 PM on Friday, Saturday; 6:30 PM on Sunday with matinees Saturday at 2 PM and Sunday at 1 PM.

For more information, please visit the official DREAMGIRLS website at www.DreamgirlsOnStage.com

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