[NEohioPAL] Berko review: DREAMGIRLS @ Cain Park

[Roy Berko]

Cain Park’s DREAMGIRLS, audience pleasing, but needs emotional texturing

Roy Berko
 
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)
 
--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--
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DREAMGIRLS has a dynamic musical score and story.  These elements turn out to be 
both the boon and problem with Cain Park’s production of the script.

The DREAMGIRL story centers on a trio of female R & B (rhythm and blues) singers 
who  strive for stardom.  Think The Supremes.  In fact, some believe that the 
plot is a disguised version of the story of Diana Ross, her emergence from being 
the backup singer in the original group, and her rise to fame.  There is also 
enough similarity to the stories of James Brown and Jackie Wilson to lead to the 
conclusion that several of the male characters are based on these men.  

We follow "The Dreams" as they rise from amateur talent show losers to becoming 
backup singers and then superstars, and those who played roles in their lives.

The musical opened on Broadway in 1981 and was nominated for thirteen Tony 
Awards. It was directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett and was mainly 
responsible for making Jennifer Holliday a major star. 

A 2006 film adaptation starred Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Danny 
Glover and former AMERICAN IDOL contestant Jennifer Hudson.  Hudson won the 
Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the movie. 

Henry Krieger’s music is hard-driving and compelling.  Tom Euyen’s story is full 
of conflicts that help the storyline move along.  To make the complexities work, 
the actors must not only get across the intense meaning, but understand the need 
to texture the spoken and sung lines.  Unfortunately, Director Victoria Bussert 
has allowed her actors to start screaming from the outset, which leaves them no 
place to go to develop the needed emotional variances as the story develops.  

After a while the screaming got so intense that an audience member sitting next 
to me mumbled, “Stop all the yelling.”  He was right on.  Actors need to realize 
that once you’ve screamed there is no place to up-the-ante when the intensity is 
really needed.  Because of all the bellowing, many of the lines were lost in 
explosions of air.

Adrianna Cleveland as Effie, the member of the group who is dropped because of 
her domineering personality and hefty size, wails.  This lady has one impressive 
voice.  Her (And I’m Telling You) I’m Not Going was the show’s emotional and 
musical highpoint.  It would have been even more impressive if the first act 
lines and music leading up to it had been more subtle, as the entire act leads 
up to that song.  I Am Changing, under-sung with strong emotion, was beautiful 
and showed what happens when underplaying rather than excessive power is used.  
Cleveland could have made the character more dimensional by texturing the verbal 
expression of her spoken speeches.

The beautiful Ciara Renée has a very pleasant singing voice and developed a 
clear characterization as Deena, who is thrust into the lead singing role 
against her desires.  

Kyle Primous as Jimmy, an emerging superstar, got lots of laughs and strong 
positive reactions for his superb dancing.  At times he went overboard and lost 
the character because of too much affect.  His Baby, Baby was a show stopper.

Antwaun Holley as C. C. White, displayed excellent dynamics and was consistent 
throughout.  

Rod Lawrence was disappointing as the wheeling-dealing Curtis.  He spoke and 
yelled words rather than meanings and never quite made the character real.  The 
usually proficient Darryl Lewis screamed his way through the role of Marty, as 
did David Robbins in various parts.

Song and production highlights included Fake Your Way to the Top, Steppin’ to 
the Bad Side, and the reprise of Dreamgirls.

Gregory Daniels’ choreography was creative.  Unfortunately, at times it was too 
ambitious for the cast, causing mistiming on group movements.

Russ Borski’s costume designs were fabulous.  The amount of fabric used on this 
show was unbelievable.

Rob Kovacs’s musicians were excellent, though the volume and dynamics needed 
variance.  The sound needed to be big, but, in the small venue, had to be 
tempered.  Loud is not always better!

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:   DREAMGIRLS is quite good on many levels and will please 
many.   However, it could have been so much better if restraint, texturing of 
moods, and less pounding and screaming of musical and spoken sounds had been 
achieved.  

Tickets for  DREAMGIRLS which runs through June 26 can be obtained by calling 
216-371-3000 or going on line to www.cainpark.com.
 
Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 
2011, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at 
http://royberko.info.  His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com 
and www.NeOHIOpal