Posted by | Ray Cornelius
CONGRATS to “GLEE” singer and actress Amber Riley. “The Wiz Live” star will portray “Effie White” in a London-based production of “Dreamgirls” at the Savoy Theatre this winter.
In a statement, Riley said working on the London stage is “a dream realized” and “I just feel like this is going to be something special!”
“Dreamgirls” tells the story of a young female singing trio, from Chicago, Illinois called ‘The Dreams’, as they learn the hard lesson that show business is as tough as it is fabulous and features the classic songs “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” “I Am Changing” and “One Night Only.”
The original show, which debuted over 35 years ago at the Imperial Theater on Broadway, starred Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine, Jennifer Holliday, Ben Harney, Cleavant Derricks and Obba Babatundé. A film adaptation was release in 2006 starring Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Anika Noni Rose and Sharon Leal.
Previews begin in November with an opening set for December!
Check out a photo of Riley with original Dreamgirls stars Sheryl Lee Ralph and Loretta Devine after last night’s NAACP Image Awards + Riley below singing the show’s signature hit, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
Photo Credits: OfficialLondonTheater.co.uk and Facebook/Sheryl Lee Ralph