Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor –

Casting for the Woodlawn’s Theater’s new production of Dreamgirls was a bit challenging, acknowledges director Tim Hedgepeth, who is a fan of the beloved 1981 musical inspired by the story of the 1960s popular girl group The Supremes.

“First, the lead actresses must have a special strength in their vocal range and the show requires specific vocal types for each,” he explained. “One voice, has to have an earthy sound, sort of like Patti LaBelle and Etta James; the second voice – for the character clearly based on Diana Ross – has to have that kind of pop quality, and the third has to be a high soprano. The latter character is also the comic of the group, so that actress has to convey character and comedy in addition to the high notes… Lots of performers came to audition and most are cast in the show (28 people altogether). I was seeing talented people I did not know before… So many qualified people can sometimes make it more difficult to choose the cast.”

The three characters he is referring to are named Effie, Deena and Lorrell, three Chicago girls who eventually become a Motown girl group, reach celebrity status as crossover artists and become international stars. But conflict, manipulation, heartache, betrayal and the cold reality of show business interfere with the early harmony between the young women. It’s the story of The Supremes, with just enough changes “to avoid lawsuits,” quipped the director.

With some 40 songs in the show that range from gospel and R&B to punk, disco and “white pop,” the leading ladies must also have the ability to sustain a high level of performance throughout. Combined with big dance numbers, glamorous costumes, wigs, makeup and lighting, the musical is certainly a spectacle for the senses and a musical treat, “but that’s not enough to make a satisfying theater experience,” added the director.

“The characters of these three women are complicated, so their stories are very intriguing and their success and heartbreak, and what they learn from the mistakes they make – all that is very human. It’s a rag-to-riches kind of story but it’s written so well that you can appreciate the epic qualities of it.”

For actress La Toya Chenelle Crawford, the part of Deena has been a dream role ever since she saw the Dreamgirls movie, starring Beyoncé. “When I saw the audition notices, I told myself “You have to go for Deena,” she said. “I auditioned with the Dreamgirls song that opens Act II, the first one in which Deena is the lead singer. I wanted them to see me as Deena and it’s my favorite song in the show. At that point, The Dreams (as the group is called) are back after a big tour and they are super polished.”

To prepare, she watched video clips of Diana Ross and the Supremes and tried to mimic Ross’ way of moving. Once she got the part, however, the director told her to be the Deena she wanted to be, and that gave her the freedom to put her stamp on the role.

This is Crawford’s first stage appearance in San Antonio and her first lead role. But she is a fairly seasoned performer having just spent a year traveling the world with the military group Tops in Blue.

Deena’s friends and singing partners, Effie and Lorrell, are portrayed by Naomi Williams Johnson and Janecia Stevenson, respectively, while their ambitious, manipulative manager, Curtis, is played by Bradley Freeman.  Darrin Newhardt is the music director and Michelle Pietri is in charge of the choreography.

As entertaining as the show is, Dreamgirls also captures a big change in American popular music history, when black artists were finally able to reach mainstream acceptance.

“Elvis and Pat Boone and other white performers appropriated songs written by black artists, and gave them a much more mainstream sound,” said Hedgepeth. But (Motown founder) Barry Gordy and other black music professionals had enough of that at some point, and decided to bring the black sound into the mainstream. The Supremes were part of that shift. It made the entire music scene much richer and varied. A lot of people knew nothing about the richness of the black music tradition. The Motown explosion came just at the right time.”

While the show is not political in any obvious way, the fact that The Dreams move from the Harlem-based Apollo Theater in the first act to a Las Vegas stage in the opening scene of Act II, is a political statement of sorts, Hedgepeth pointed out. “They achieve wide acceptance in only ten years,” he noted.
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Opens Friday Aug. 23, runs through Sept. 15; tickets $18-$35; Woodlawn Theatre, 1920 Fredericksburg Rd., 210-267-8388, info@woodlawntheatre.org