Supreme Fare

Talent reigns in Dreamgirls, the '80s pop-opera about hits and heartbreak in Motown

Comments (0) By Elaine Liner Thursday, Feb 13 2003

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Suzi Cranford and Bill Bullard do a little better with the costumes, but the fabrics for The Dreams too often are flimsy and get washed out under the lights. Dress designs for the superstar phase of the group appear to be Simplicity patterns whipped up from cheap floral bed sheets. They dress Carter in bulky dresses and gigantic coats, perhaps to make her look heftier than she really is.

Twenty-two years after its debut on Broadway in a production directed and choreographed by the legendary Michael Bennett, Dreamgirls holds up better than most musicals of that era, definitely better than A Chorus Line, Bennett's other long-running show, which now sounds hokey and dated. That's a tribute to Eyen and Krieger's score. Like the Motown hits that inspired them, Dreamgirls'songs still are a kick to listen to, especially when sung by a cast as good as the one TFM Productions has put together. And certainly there's nothing stale about the show's story of young singers struggling for their big break. Watch American Idol and Star Search for proof that hitting the big time by hitting the high notes remains the supreme American dream.