Nova Y. Payton Stars in Signature Theatre's DREAMGIRLS, Now thru Jan 6

Signature Theatre sparkles this holiday season with the arrival of the Tony Award-winning musical Dreamgirls, playing in the MAX Theatre starting tonight, November 13. Brimming with superstar talent, and directed and choreographed by Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Xanadu, Really Really), this much-loved show captures the heart and hopes of a soulful female singing trio as they rise to international fame. Dreamgirls plays from tonight, November 13, 2012 – January 6, 2013.

Nova Y. Payton (Hairspray) stars as Effie White, the talented and headstrong lead singer of The Dreams. She is joined by Shayla Simmons (Deena Jones) and Crystal Joy (Lorrell Robinson). David Bazemore plays songwriter C.C. White, and Sydney James Harcourt plays Curtis Taylor, Jr., the band's manager. Cedric Neal plays R&B star James "Thunder" Early. Rounding out the cast are Kara-Tameika Watkins (Michelle Morris), Bus Howard (Marty), and Sean Maurice Lynch (Wayne).

Performances run Tuesday through Sunday evenings, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. There will be no performance on Thanksgiving Day. Tickets are now on sale and start at $40. Single tickets are available in person at the Signature Box Office at 4200 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington, or by calling Ticketmaster at (703) 573-SEAT. Student discount tickets are $30 and must be purchased the week of the performance. Signature is also offering "$22 for Tuesdays," making available $22 tickets to the first two public Tuesday performances on November 13 and November 20. This production's Pride performance is scheduled for December 7. Discussion performances are scheduled for December 12 and December 18.

Signature will also host a special performance on New Year's Eve followed by a countdown celebration. Patrons are invited to stay after the show and enjoy hors d'oeuvres, a champagne toast at midnight, and a DJ cranking tunes until the early morning. Tickets to the Monday, December 31 performance range from $40 to $87. Or, patrons may just make Signature your New Year's Eve destination even without seeing the show. Tickets to the post-show party only are $75 for subscribers and $100 for general public. All tickets available through the Box Office at 703-820-9771.

Backstage tours are available as well. With a design that includes over 500 light bulbs in the set alone, along with countless costumes and wigs, the behind-the-scenes magic of Dreamgirls is something to see. Tours are held at 5pm on Saturday afternoons beginning December 1 and include a short film with the designers of the production, a tour of the set and backstage area, and a question-and-answer period with members of the cast. Tickets are only $20 per person and space is limited. Tickets can be booked online or through the Signature Box Office.

"Henry Kreiger and Tom Eyen's backstage Motown musical has long been one of my favorites," said Matthew Gardiner. "Signature loves to give our audiences the opportunity to see large musicals in an intimate setting. Like other backstage musicals, such as Gypsy and A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls is about the price of success. But unlike its predecessors, Dreamgirls captures the struggle of black entertainers in the 1960s to find their voices within a white-dominated music industry. I could not be more excited to have this cast onstage at Signature, led by the incomparable Nova Y. Payton."

First a smash Broadway musical, then an award-winning motion picture, Dreamgirls captures the spirit and hope of Motown when a girl group from Chicago makes it big. In a business controlled by men, the female trio fights for recognition, fellowship, and love as superstardom challenges their musical and cultural identity. A rich, glowing spectacle about the price of show-biz success, Dreamgirls sizzles with sparkling dance and R&B soul. It features music by Henry Krieger and a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen. The production's Music Director is John Kalbfleisch, working with an award-winning creative team that includes Brianne Camp (Co-Choreographer), Darius Smith (Associate Music Director), Adam Koch (Scenic Designer), Chris Lee (Lighting Designer), Frank Labovitz (Costume Designer), and Matt Rowe (Sound Designer).

The musical, which won six Tony Awards and two Grammy Awards in its original 1982 Broadway run, features the hit songs "Dreamgirls," "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," and "One Night Only."

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