STAGE REVIEW : ‘Dreamgirls’ a Tribute to Soul Struggle

“Dreamgirls” is a story about dreams in collision.

As crafted by Michael Bennett, who created “A Chorus Line,” The Dreams are three singers--modeled loosely after The Supremes--who learn there is a price to pay if they want to cross over from the soul charts to pop, where they can realize their dream of being stars. Will they sell their “souls” to the devil, here represented by a slick, smiling manager, Curtis Taylor Jr., who tells them they have to whiten up their act, grease some palms and dump their fat lead singer if they want to realize his dream of making it in a white man’s world?

In real life, manager Berry Gordy--the man who built the Motown sound--moved The Supremes’ original lead singer, Florence Ballard, to backup in favor of Diana Ross, and then dropped Ballard altogether for Cindy Birdsong.

Of course, this being a Broadway musical--not to be confused with real life, where Ballard, forgotten and on welfare, died in 1976 at the age of 32--all of The Dreams end up pretty happily. And those who sell their souls--well, they say they’re sorry and kiss and make up. Even the bad manager who loses his prize “Dream” singer can console himself with his musical and financial empire.

All of which is not to detract from the fact that “Dreamgirls,” now in a rousing production at the Starlight Musical Theatre, is a moving tribute to the struggle of black performers seeking recognition in the still-segregated America of the ‘60s, in which one Miami hotel is described as “so white, they won’t even let our boys park cars there.”

Set against a backdrop of so much unfairness, the manager’s methods seem no more sinister than fighting fire with fire. Once they are famous, they can call their own shots, he promises. It’s a prediction that turns out to be truer than he expects, when they end up calling the shots against him.

The show won six Tonys, one for Jennifer Holliday as the deposed Dreams singer, Effie White. Ironically, Holliday found herself fired by Bennett for her attitude during rehearsals. She was rehired, however, before it opened in 1981, and the experience must have given an added punch to her biggest song, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.”

One of the show’s strengths is its operatic feel in the Stephen Sondheim/Andrew Lloyd Webber mold, in which much of the dialogue is sung and the sets and lights move and swirl with the action like visual realizations of the music by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen.

David Thome, who re-created the original direction and choreography by the late Bennett (originally co-choreographed with Michael Peters), keeps the action moving with a spirited and talented cast that throws itself into the story with an appetite that captures the hunger propelling the “Dream” team.

Loretta Marie Chandler, best known for her work on the television show “Fame,” may not match Holliday’s vocal prowess in the role of Effie, but her voice is sweet and strong, and true to the Gospel tradition in which she trained; her style lends a special poignancy to her character’s dismissal, not just for being too fat, but for being “too black” in sound. Theresa Hayes brings glamour to burn as the new lead singer, Deena Jones. Connie Jackson grows during the course of the show into a glorious little spitfire as the second backup singer, Lorrell.

Tony Franklin renders Curtis as sympathetic as he can be. Franklin reveals him to be a man so in love with his own dream that he cannot see that he is trampling on others.

Phillip Gilmore is a hoot as James Thunder Early, Curtis’ first transmutation from “soul” to pop gold; the way his eyes flicker back and forth, worried, after he slips from his Tony Bennett/Perry Como imitations and starts to swivel his hips like he used to do, is bittersweet comedy at its best.

Mike Sims projects decency as Marty, a manager who fights for people, not profits. The shakiest work lies in portraying the few characters who change abruptly, rather than evolve slowly, as the result of key decisions: Marvin Thornton, who plays C. C. White, Effie’s songwriting brother, should show more intimations of the burning desire for fame that makes him turn his back on his sister in favor of the manager who promises him the top of the charts. Lee A. Munn’s change of heart as the replacement singer, Michelle Morris, who sends C. C. back to Effie, could also be more clearly defined, even in the shorthand of this hurried book.

If the memorable songs by Krieger and Eyen are few--”One Night Only,” “Steppin’ to the Bad Side” and “I’m Not Going”--the flow of about 40 numbers, reminiscent of the era, creates a vivid, dynamic mood wonderfully complemented by the mobility of the flashing sets by Robin Wagner that make the props seem like members of the dancing corps.

The costumes, by Theoni V. Aldredge, which grow in splendor with The Dreams’ rise to the top, slip on and off unseen while Barbara du Bois’ lighting distracts the audience’s attention from the sleight of hand. The sound by Bill Lewis seems bigger than the airplanes that growl over Starlight Bowl, and the cast freezes for the loudest sounds, which seemed to number less than a dozen.

With “Dreamgirls” and the upcoming “La Cage aux Folles,” Starlight, which has built its reputation on revivals of American musicals of decades past, is showing a firm commitment to the world of the modern musical. It is a challenge in terms of the technical demands of modern theater, with its continuous flow of music and movement.

With “Dreamgirls,” Starlight has proved that it, like The Dreams, has the ability to cross over and reach new audiences. It augurs well for seasons ahead.

Performances at 8 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday through Sept. 10 at the Starlight Bowl, San Diego . Ticket s are $15 to $22 , (619) 544-7827.

‘DREAMGIRLS’

Book and lyrics by Tom Eyen. Music by Henry Krieger. Re-created after Michael Bennett’s original direction and choreography (with Michael Peters) by David Thome. Musical and vocal direction by Lloyd Cooper. Sets by Robin Wagner. Costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge. Lighting by Barbara du Bois. Sound by Bill Lewis. Stage manager is J. Sherwood Montgomery. Hair by Donalee Braden. With Kathy Bloom, Angela Flippin, Christal Flournoy, Shouna Shoemake, Tonji Joiner, Ruth Terrel, Mike Sims, Tony Franklin, Theresa Hayes, Connie Jackson, Loretta Marie Chandler, Andre Carthen, Chez Reed, Marvin Thornton, Mario Burrell, George Callahan, Eric Davenport, Omar Paloma, Edgar Zendejas, Phillip Gilmore, Brad Bradley, Lee A. Munn, Hassan El-Amin, Martin Drobac, Christine Hewitt and Lesley Ann Zizzo.