“Dreamgirls” will return to Broadway in the fall of 2026. The first ever Broadway revival of the Tony Award-winning musical, with a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger, will be directed and choreographed by five-time Tony nominee Camille A. Brown.
To cast the central trio of Deena, Lorell and Effie aka The Dreams, the production is embarking on a worldwide talent search, with auditions to take place in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, London, Toronto, Mexico City, Amsterdam, Rome and Paris.
“Dreamgirls” premiered at the Imperial Theatre in 1981 and ran for 1,521 performances. Directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, the original production fused R&B, soul and showbiz storytelling, introducing now-legendary hits, including “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” “One Night Only,” and the title anthem “Dreamgirls.”
That original production garnered 13 Tony Award nominations and won six, including Best Book of a Musical, Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Ben Harney as Curtis Taylor, Jr. and Best Leading Actress for Jennifer Holliday as Effie White — whose Act I showstopper “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” had audiences leaping to their feet mid-performance. Its impact has endured for over four decades, inspiring generations of artists and winning devoted fans around the world through countless productions and the Academy Award-winning 2006 film adaptation, which won an Oscar for Jennifer Hudson as Effie.
Brown is one of the fastest-rising creative talents of the last decade on Broadway. She was nominated for Tony Awards for both directing and choreographing the acclaimed 2022 revival of “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf.” In addition, she has received Tony nominations for her choreography of “Choir Boy,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and last season’s “Gypsy.” Other Broadway credits for choreography include “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Once On This Island.”
This article previously appeared on Broadway.com.
