Featuring the classic songs And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going, Listen and One Night Only, this sensational production had its critically acclaimed West End première in December 2016 at London’s Savoy Theatre, 35 years on from opening on Broadway. Glee Actress Amber Riley won an Olivier Award and the Evening Standard Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Effie White.

Dreamgirls follows the lives of Effie, Deena, and Lorrell, three talented young singers striving for success in the turbulent 1960s, a revolutionary time in American music and cultural history. As girl band The Dreams, the friends embark upon a rollercoaster ride through a world of fame, fortune and the ruthless realities of show business, testing their friendships to the very limit.

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When it premiered in December 1981 it really was ahead of its time in terms of content and music, launching the careers of its original stars such as Jennifer Holliday who played Effie White, an inspirational and empowered woman who is a timeless role model for many.

The show was an immediate success raising the curtain on 1,521 performances over for four years. It proved to be a star-making vehicle for several of its performers, particularly Holliday, whose recording of And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going was a no.1 single on the Billboard R&B charts in 1982.

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Dreamgirls toured the US for the next three decades with many new and rising stars embracing the role of Effie including American Idol contestant Frenchie Davis. While the Oscar®-winning hit film, released in 2006, brought the story on stage to a wider audience, it’s the power of the music that underpins the drama. Drawing on 1950s soul, R&B and 70s disco, the broad popularity of songs such as And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going, One Night Only and Listen, have been brought to a new generation through TV Talent shows, in the UK as well as the US.

Musical theatre star, Nicole Raquel Dennis who plays Effie in the UK tour wowed audiences on The Voice when she sang And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going alongside team mentor and star of the Dreamgirls film, Jennifer Hudson. The role of Effie will be shared with soul, gospel and blues artist Sharlene Hector, long-time collaborator with Grammy® Award-winning electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, as well as providing backing vocals for Sam Sparro, Natasha Bedingfield, Boy George and Mary J. Blige.

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The cast also showcases the talent of Natalie Kassanga as Deena Jones whose theatre credits include Diana Ross in Motown: The Musical and Royal Academy of Music graduate, Paige Peddie, the ‘Unexpected Star’ on BBC1’s Michael McIntyre’s Big Show on Christmas Day, 2018 who plays Lorrell Robinson. Bat Out of Hell the Musical star Dom Hartley-Harris is Curtis Taylor Jr., Brandon Lee Sears is Jimmy Early, Shem Omari Jame is C.C.White, Jo Servi plays Marty and Brianna Ogunbawo is Michelle Morris.

The UK-wide tour opens at the Liverpool Empire on 14th December and runs until 1st January. Book your tickets now!