Dreamgirls is a musical which opened on Broadway in the early 80’s but didn’t come to UK shores until the film in 2006 and the West End production some ten years later in 2016. It tells of a female singing trio called the ‘Dreams’ and follows their rise to success, their friendships and fall outs with each other and their relationships with the men that surround them.

Sedos has proved that they are a society who don’t shy away from a challenge and this is possibly their biggest one yet. Get it right and we get a journey through glitter, git and the dirty tricks of show business with the vocal gymnastics that make even seasoned musical theatre reviewers sit up and take notice and luckily for the audience Sedos stepped up to the challenge with a huge amount of passion and talent combined.

Dreamgirls as a production and its success hinges on the 3 original ‘Dreams’; Effie White, Deena Jones and Lorrell Robinson and they were all a force to be reckoned with. Lashayah Alize Byfield blew me away with her performance and do I not say that lightly or easily. (And I’m Telling You) I’m Not Going is a huge powerhouse of a song not only vocally but emotionally and Byfield succeeded on both of these fronts making it one of the most memorable performances of a song I have seen in amateur theatre. By the end of the number I didn’t know if I needed to sit in stunned silence or leap to my feet. Deena Jones was played by Jasmine Sakpoba and her journey as Deena was pivotal to the success of this show. Deena has to grow from a mild mannered backing singer to the front woman that everyone is interested in and this transformation took place beautifully on stage, when Effie doubted Deena’s star quality I was right there with her but equally later when both the press and Curtis were discussing her star quality I was right there with them, indicating just how utterly believable she was at all times in the role and her versatility to portray both.

Nicole Vassell made up the 3^rd original Dream as Lorrell and her duet with Jimmy, ‘Ain’t No Party’ had me cheering when she finally gave him the boot, indicating just how much she had me invested in her character.  C.C. White, the Dreams songwriter and Effie’s brother was played by Nvaron Anderson and his charisma was palatable and all of his solo moments were beautifully sung. Ruden Ondo Mesa as Curtis Taylor Jr was convincing as the master manipulator with a very smooth voice and Tashan Nicholas as James Thurder Early made a huge impression every time he hit the stage with his bundles of energy. 

The staging of the show by Director David Gregory was really well considered, especially with some of the complex sequences and transitions that happen throughout the show ensuring that even in busy scenes the focus was where it needed to be at all times. The stripped back set with visible dressing tables and clothing rails in the wings also complemented the shows themes well and ensured that they journey of the Dreams was what took front and centre at all times. Choreography by Taylor Bradshaw also felt fresh for this production, I particularly liked how he used items like torches and flight cases in numbers to create unexpected moments but equally I adored how the Dreams were choreographed, especially in ‘Hard To Say Goodbye, (My Love)’ in a style reminiscent of the Supremes and other groups of that era.

The band under the musical direction for Isaac Bartels sounded incredibly put together, especially knowing how little time bands have to rehearse in amateur shows. One of my biggest criticisms of the show however was the sound balance between the vocals and the band with the band often significantly overpowering the vocals. My other smaller complaint about the show was that at some points the costumes let the finish down and at points they lacked attention to detail or simply strange choices made. I should underline however that both of these points were incredibly minor in the overall impact of the show and in a way astounding that with a show of these demands that these were my biggest concerns.

Sedos have a huge hit on their hands with Dreamgirls, they tackle it with the boldness it requires serving big voices and bigger emotions. The result is a production as satisfying and as thrilling as Effie’s final Act 1 note.

Dreamgirls is on until the 29th November at the Bridewell Theatre. You can find out more about Sedos here.

If you like this review you might also like my review of The Color Purple, Violet and Hairspray.