Wednesday, November 26, 1997
THEATER:
Musical relates female trio’s struggle to make it, rise to
stardomBy Cheryl Klein
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
It was 1959 when Berry Gordy opened his studio doors to
Detroit’s West Grand Avenue, officially ushering in the era of
Motown. The soulful harmonies quickly gained popularity as
"crossover" music, bought by both African American and white
listeners.
It wasn’t until 1981, however, that Motown took up residence on
Broadway in the form of "Dreamgirls," a musical that profiled a
female trio’s rise to stardom and spotlighted the music industry’s
make-or-break hold on the American dream. No less than six Tony
awards cemented its status as a classic and now, in 1997, Tony
Stevens feels it’s time for the girls to make a comeback.
"In musical comedy, there seems to be a kind of sugar coating of
the stories and there isn’t one here," says Stevens, who directs
and choreographs the revival, opening Dec. 2 at the Wilshire
Theatre and on Broadway in the spring.
The story opens at the famed Apollo Theater in 1967, as three
young women with beautiful voices but little life experience take
the stage behind headliner James "Thunder" Early. We follow Deena,
Lorrell and Effie for seven years, the musical’s spirited period
numbers chronicling their progress and setbacks.
One of the most troubling controversies they face is the part
Effie will play in the group. Despite her vocal talents, their
manager shuffles her to the back. When Jennifer Holliday originated
the role, audiences suspected this was because she was a "woman of
size," as Stevens says. Perhaps more true to the original story
line though, actress Roz White attempts to convey Effie’s sound as
a little too "black" for mainstream audiences.
"In the ’60s and ’70s," Stevens says, "black music became
American music, but before that it was very specialized R&B and
rough … and that’s what the Effie character represents  the
more soulful sound of music.
"A lot of things come into play when one considers that this
person is a little more sellable than that person."
Yet all the characters take their struggles in stride, emerging
as mature and confident. It is this development which first
endeared actress Tonya Dixon to her character, Lorrell.
"As I look at Lorrell in her younger years, she was a lot like
me. A little feisty, a little over the edge," Dixon recalls. "But
back then I remember myself being a little more insecure."
She could also relate on a musical level, having grown up
listening to Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the
Miracles, and Martha and the Vandellas.
"I grew up on that sound because of my mother," Dixon says. "She
loved all those doo-wop groups of the ’60s. Smokey Robinson could
do no harm in her eyes."
Stevens agrees, "All those songs were our songs. That’s what we
danced to."
As a choreographer, Stevens kept in mind his own Motown past in
addition to the moves that won the late Michael Bennett the best
choreography Tony for "Dreamgirls."
Anyone staging a revival must at some point ask themselves just
how true to the original they intend to stay. But for Stevens, who
worked on two other productions of "Dreamgirls" and collaborated
with Bennett on "A Chorusline" in the 1970s, the line between
carbon copy and complete revamp didn’t need to be drawn.
"Michael’s concept is that these people get caught up in the
show business machine and when you watch it, you get a sense of
that because it never stops moving," Stevens says. "As long as you
keep those thoughts and concepts going, you serve the piece really
well."
"Revivals are very touch and go," Dixon admits. "They’re very
popular these days, but they’re really touch and go."
Yet Dixon classifies "Dreamgirls" as one of the more modern
musicals, á la "The Life" and "Jekyll and Hyde," which reveal
the darker  and frequently more fun to play  side of
human nature, at the same time exploring serious cultural issues.
These types of shows, she says, have broadened the spectrum of
parts available to performers.
"You just don’t have to be the cute little blonde that’s in
college and falls in love with the guy in the fraternity," Dixon
says.
And if musical theater has changed its scope and focus since
Gene Kelly and Judy Garland sang about various boy-meets-girl
dilemmas, popular music has certainly evolved since the early days
of Motown.
"I used to have an album of basically everybody I liked,"
Stevens says. "I can hardly do that now because there’s such a huge
amount of artists. They’re all valid, they’re all talented, but I
think it’s hard for artists to surface in this day and age and get
someone behind them and really come up with something unique and
special."
Though this may be bad news for groups in search of the kind of
Elvis-esque mega-stardom that typified older acts, it also blurs
genres and widens the range of what’s considered "mainstream."
"Jamiroquai  that’s an example," Stevens says. "They’re
crossing pop with jazz and reggae … There’s much more to choose
from. There’s more dabbling in creating different sounds and styles
and all that."
Of course, experiments usually produce mixed results and Dixon
confesses that she prefers show tunes and Motown to much of the
newer music on the market.
"I’m not very fond of rap at all," Dixon says. "Although I do
see that it is a part of our culture and it’s bringing out our
African American men and showing their talents, and I’m very
supportive of it, I don’t go out and buy it.
"Now what they’re starting to do is incorporate mixes of songs
into rap. Now, that I like a lot because I like listening to that
old type of music infiltrated in the rap, which gives it a new
sound."
Which is of course what Motown did to R&B and what Broadway
does to Motown in "Dreamgirls."
THEATER: "Dreamgirls" runs from Dec. 2-21 at the Wilshire
Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. Tickets range from $30
to $55. For more information, call (213) 365-3500.
Broadway LA
(Left to right) Tonya Dixon, La Tayna Hall and Kimberly Jajuan
play the trio in "Dreamgirls."