Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! [19][22], Dreamgirls musical supervisors Randy Spendlove and Matt Sullivan hired R&B production team The Underdogs Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas to restructure and rearrange the Henry Krieger/Tom Eyen Dreamgirls score so that it better reflected its proper time period, yet also reflected then-modern R&B/pop sensibilities. Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture, vol. It was about the whole performancehow they moved, the clothes they wore, how big their hair was. . Cookie Settings, Dried Lake Reveals New Statue on Easter Island. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Jimmy's manager, Marty Madison, grows weary of Curtis' plans to make his client more pop-friendly and walks out. [8] With a production budget of $80 million, Dreamgirls is one of the most expensive films to feature a predominant African-American starring cast in American film history. In a January 25, 2007 interview with NPR, Robinson expressed offense at the film's portrayal of its Berry Gordy analogue, Curtis Taylor Jr., as a "villainous character" who deals in payola and other illegal activities. With three Golden Globe awards and eight Academy Award nominations, Dreamgirls has renewed interest in the girl groups of the 1960s as well as Motown Records, the Detroit-based company that became one of the most influential labels of the time. Other Characters From Dreamgirls. [107] Gordy was highly suspected, though never proven, to have used Mafia-backed loans to finance Motown during its later years.[108]. Everywhere they went on tour that summer, there were riots. They were able to transition into becoming adults with greater ease.". Laurie, Timothy. ", Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture, Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards, Best Actress Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture or Television, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards, "STAGE TO SCREENS: "Dreamgirls" Composer Krieger and Co-Star Rose; Plus David Warren". As such, Hudson became one of the few actresses ever to win an Oscar for a film debut performance. Curtis soon starts his own record label, Rainbow Records, out of his Detroit car dealership, appointing Effie's brother C.C. In what was considered an upset, Murphy lost the Best Supporting Actor award to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine. InWomen of Motown, The Marvelettes' Schaffner says, "I loved going on the road. In Motown, founder Berry Gordy aimed to make music with widespread pop charts appeal. Ballard never reunited with the other Primettes, unlike the sentimental ending to "Dreamgirls." [46], Similar to the releases of older Hollywood musicals such as The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, and West Side Story, Dreamgirls debuted with three special ten-day roadshow engagements beginning on December 15, 2006 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City, the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, and the AMC Metreon 15 in San Francisco. Curtis pitches a film about Cleopatra to star Deena, whom he has also married. [9] Dreamgirls received eight NAACP Image Award nominations, winning for Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Outstanding Album (the soundtrack LP). The timing of 'Postman' was excellent. The Ronettes, who were biracial, also became famous for their bad-girl short skirts, high-piled hair and thick eyeliner. But because of our performance, one of our teacherswhen it came time to audition for Motownbecause that was a part of what your winnings would be, to audition for Motownshe recommended that they take the top five. Answer. So they're sitting at home or gathering at a friend's house or they're sitting on the bench during basketball practice at school, and doing the same kind of thingharmonizing and making up songs. Instead the score is standard issue Broadway fare, decorated with a few drumbeats and occasional light disco drive, that stays heavy on narrative subtext, allowing the songs to comment on the story line. 2. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine [80] It was also named as one of the American Film Institute's top ten films of 2006. [42][52] This version, based on edits done for preview screenings before the film's release, runs ten minutes longer than the theatrical version and features longer musical numbers (including songs and verses cut during previews) and additional scenes. He appoints the slimmer, more conventionally attractive Deena as the new lead singer, renaming them "The Dreams". Dreamgirls also garnered Screen Actors Guild Awards for Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy), as well as a nomination for its ensemble cast. 2012. To restart her music career, she hires Marty as her manager and after a pep talk by him begins performing at a local club. Furthermore, Dreamgirls was nominated for eleven 2007 International Press Academy Satellite Awards, and won four of the awards: Best Picture Comedy or Musical, Best Director (Bill Condon), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Jennifer Hudson), and Best Sound (Mixing & Editing). This was not what Martha Reeves thought of when she sang the song. Freedom Rides began through the South in 1961, and in 1963 at the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. In one scene, Effie saunters into Curtis' office and discusses Rainbow Records' latest LP, The Great March to Freedom, a spoken word album featuring speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. For. [93][94] A later scene features Curtis and the Dreams recording in the studio, while a riot rages outside. Schumacher planned to have Lauryn Hill[18] portray Deena and Kelly Price play Effie. [82] Dreamgirls also received a record eleven Black Reel Award nominations, and won six of the awards, among them Best Film. [60] Roeper still enjoyed the film, noting that Jennifer Hudson's rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" as the "show-stopping moment of any film of 2006" and very much enjoyed Murphy's performance as well, remarking that "people are going to love this film. [67], DreamWorks and Paramount began a significant awards campaign for Dreamgirls while the film was still in production. Deena Jones. Hundreds of girl groups recorded songs during the sixties, but hardly any of them were seasoned musicians. . As much as Deena Jones, Beyonc Knowles ' character in "Dreamgirls," was modeled on Diana Ross, the film's main character, Effie White, was based on Etta James, according to composer Henry Krieger. Sometime later, C.C., who feels Curtis is undermining his songs' artistic merit by making them into disco music, quits the label. "Introduction". [84] The Dreamgirls soundtrack was also nominated for the Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album. Who was the main character in Dreamgirls based on? Dreamgirls Directed by Bill Condon Produced by Laurence Mark Written by Bill Condon Based on Dreamgirls by Henry Krieger Tom Eyen Starring Jamie Foxx Beyonc Knowles Eddie Murphy Danny Glover Anika Noni Rose Keith Robinson Jennifer Hudson Music by Stephen Trask Cinematography Tobias A. Schliessler Editing by Virginia Katz Studio Bill Condon Tells the Story Behind 'Dreamgirls', Oscar file: 'Dreamgirls' Director Isn't Lost in Award-Buzz Dream World, After 'Dreamgirls', Geffen says goodbye to movies, "Fugees' Lauryn Hill Eyed For "Dreamgirls", After Conquering Chicago, It's On to Motown, Andre '3000' Benjamin has turned down a role in, 'Dreamgirls' Film Cast Finally Shaping Up; Usher and Fantasia Are Out, Keith Robinson and Jennifer Hudson Are In, 'American Idol' finalist Jennifer Hudson gets lead role in 'Dreamgirls' movie", "Risky Business: Directors Guild Meet the Nominees Panel", Musical Movies: 'Dreamgirls' choreographer brings hip-hop moves to Motown, "Condon, Bill: Legendary Motown Musical Destined for the Top of the Charts (1/07)", 'Dreamgirls' Takes No. American Idol's Jennifer Hudson as the Supremes' Florence Ballard? [16], While Condon had intended to cast relatively unknown actresses as all three Dreams,[13] R&B singer Beyonc Knowles lobbied for the part of Deena Jones,[22] and was cast after a successful screen test. But this song inevitably gained meaning from the times in which it was heard. The most inauthentic part of the whole portrait is the music, which owes as much to such mid-'80s pop dreck as "You Light Up My Life" as to the actual Motown sound. Three Supremes albums Let the Sunshine In, Cream of the Crop, and Touch were reworked into Deena Jones & The Dreams album designs, with the only differences in the designs being the substitution of the names and images of the Supremes with those of Deena Jones & the Dreams. [62] University of Sydney academic Timothy Laurie was critical of the film's social message, noting that "the worthy receive just desserts by working even "At Motown, The Marvelettes, The Velvelettes, groups like that, are much more clearly identified as teenagers," she says, "and arguably that's why The Supremes had more longevity. The Supremes were three girls -- Ross, Ballard and Mary Wilson -- who grew up in the projects and originally called themselves the Primettes. As a result, more than fifty high schools, colleges, community theaters, and other non-commercial theater entities staged productions of Dreamgirls in 2006, and DreamWorks spent up to $250,000 subsidizing the licensing. Initially, Deena is a shy . Terms of Use BOOKING Left to right: Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross AP Wire photo 1965 The Broadway show had been had been partly financed by music mogul turned film producer David Geffen, who retained rights to produce the movie. "[54] Metacritic reports a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 rating, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Many of the other original Dreamgirls Broadway cast members, among them Obba Babatund, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Cleavant Derricks, were interviewed for a Jet magazine article in which they discussed their varying opinions of both the Dreamgirls film's script and production. He looks like Ike Turner, borrows his stage moves from Wilson and has some Marvin Gaye hovering over his character. Eddie Murphy brilliantly digests the R&B stars of the early '60s in his portrayal of James "Thunder" Early, a key figure in the fictional career of the Dreams, the girl group of the movie. How true is Dreamgirls? Dreamgirls - Musical 2 Lorrell Robinson Dreamgirls - Musical 1 Curtis Taylor, Jr. Dreamgirls - Musical 0 View All Characters in Dreamgirls Auditons for AMDA (Virtual) New York, NY Ages 12-17: NY Pops Birthday Gala Concert New York, NY Miss Saigon New York, NY Half-Price Tickets Dec 12 - Apr 2 Drunk Shakespeare New York, NY $55 - $89 Our Price [36] The award-winning Broadway lighting team of Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer were brought in to create theatrical lighting techniques for the film's musical numbers. This is a hit with the audience until Jimmy goes too far and drops his pants. [27], Anika Noni Rose, a Broadway veteran and a Tony Award winner, won the part of Lorrell Robinson after an extensive auditioning process. Horn players would never run all over the stage as they do in "Dreamgirls" or they would be too out of breath to play the instruments. Diana Ross left the Supremes in 1970 to pursue other projects such as film work, in 1972 she starred in her first motion picture, the Motown-produced Lady Sings the Blues. In 1962 Detroit, Michigan, young car salesman Curtis Taylor Jr. meets a Black girl group known as "The Dreamettes", consisting of lead singer Effie White and backup singers Deena Jones and Lorrell Robinson, at an R&B amateur talent show at the Detroit Theatre. [25] After briefly considering R&B singer Omarion,[26] singer/actor Keith Robinson was eventually cast in the role. Rated PG-13 for language, some sexuality and drug content. [69][70] The resulting positive buzz earned Dreamgirls the status of "front-runner" for the 2006 Academy Award for Best Picture and several of the other Oscars as well. 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