The hit musical Dreamgirls will return to Broadway with a global search to find its new stars.
The show originated in New York in 1981 and played until 1985, winning six Tony awards as well as two Grammys. The song And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going was also a No 1 hit on the R&B chart.
The revival is set to start in the fall of 2026 and will be directed by the five-time Tony nominee Camille A Brown. Her credits include the recent revival of for colored girls.
The award-winning British producer Sonia Friedman’s company will be producing. Her most recent credits include the stage production of Stranger Things and the hit music drama Stereophonic.
There will be a search for “talented women of all shapes and sizes”, with auditions taking place in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, London, Toronto, Mexico City, Amsterdam, Rome and Paris.
The original production starred Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jennifer Holliday and Loretta Devine. The musical was later turned into a hit movie starring Beyoncé, Anika Noni Rose and Jennifer Hudson, who won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role.
The most recent production was in the West End in 2016 and it won two Olivier awards, including for star Amber Riley.
The story tells of a three-piece girl group and their rise to fame in the 1960s and 70s.
The show is one of many revivals set to hit Broadway in the next year. Next month, Lea Michele will head up a new take on Chess from Tim Rice with music from Abba’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and the Tony award-winning Ragtime will also see a new staging. Next year, Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels returns, David Auburn’s Proof comes back with Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri and a new version of The Rocky Horror Show will also start on Broadway.
