Old-Time Rock ‘n’ Roll:
How The 1980s Embraced 1950s and 1960s Oldies Music
Dreamgirls
Photo: "Tops in Blue performs at the Presidio of Monterey" by Presidio of Monterey: DLIFLC & USAG is licensed under CC PDM 1.0
In early 1981, Project 9, an untitled Broadway show, began to develop. This show chronicled three singers out of Chicago dreaming and succeeding in hitting it big. The show’s creator, Tom Eyen, built the show around Tony-Award winning actor Nell Carter. She, however, decided to leave in order to star in the TV sitcom Gimme a Break. With Carter’s departure, it seemed the show would not come to fruition. However, Michael Bennett, the creative force behind the recently successful A Chorus Line, came to assist with the project. Like A Chorus Line, Bennett had actors develop their characters, a process called ensemble creation. He also had them sign away their creative rights to the show for one dollar. One dollar for the creative rights to what would become a Broadway and Hollywood blockbuster. Big Dreams became the title but that name didn’t last. Dreamgirls, the final title of the show, opened on Broadway 21 December 1981 to wide acclaim.
According to Shelly Lee Ralph, people loved and continue to love Dreamgirls because it encourages us to work and fight to accomplish our dreams. Jennifer Holliday played Effie White. Shelly Lee Ralph, aged 24, succeeded in her dream to be a star by playing Deena Jones. The story-line is reminiscent of The Supremes. Diana Ross felt robbed by the show for telling what she felt was her story, the Deena Jones character, and not getting a dime for it. Mary Wilson of the Supremes loved it. She named her autobiography Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme.