Thoughts on 4 CT Shows: First Up, Goodspeed's 'Dreamgirls'

It’s been a busy month or so with much of my attention in New York doing interviews there and catching shows such as “Purlie Victorious” (one of the best productions I’ve seen on stage in ages — go!; the new musicals “How to Dance in Ohio,” “Gutenberg!!” and Stephen Sondheim’s final and perhaps most challenging musical, “Here We Are” at The Shed.. But more on all of these shows on another blog.

I want to catch up here briefly on shows that I’ve seen in Connecticut this fall — one closed, three still playing — because they are all about different and surprising experiences in the theater — and for these Connecticut theaters themselves.

First, there’s Goodspeed Musical’s production of “Dreamgirls.” This is a significant choice for a theater that is not primarily known for shows with rock/pop/r&rb scores. But it’s a dazzling show well worth seeing and featuring several dynamic performances. Even if some of the production and the book’s drive flags in the second act, it’s one I recommend.

Though it’s a show first produced in 1981 and then revived several times — and then made into a terrific movie in 2006 — it certainly fits right in with a steady stream of Broadway bio-shows from the rock/pop/r&b eras of these past few years. Though it’s fiction, the echoes of the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes are unmistakable. The vision of the show’s original creators — especially composer Henry Krieger and brilliant director Michael Bennett — has stood the test of time as an amazing piece of musical stagecraft.

Goodspeed’s production is mostly first rate, and I hope it attracts a wider audience than its traditional base. It deserves to be seen and it packs a glorious musical punch. Lili-Anne Brown stages the show well, following the expertly drawn roadmap of the original and bringing out honest and effective performances from her cast.

I know it’s a cliche to remark on Goodspeed’s ability to stage musicals on its small stage and incredibly tiny wing space, but this show — with all its many multiple fast costume changes — made it a special theatrical wonder.

I also admired the simplicity and versatility of Arnel Sanciano’s set design, especially his cleverness in using a series of show curtains to set the tone of a scene. Samantha C. Jones’ costumes are hit or miss, some having the right dazzle while others being far from right — or complimentary to the characters or the actors. (Effie’s plaid outfit in the second act was gasp-inducing, and not in a good way. And one wig of one of the male performers was shockingly bad in the second act as well.) However, Adam Honore and Jason Lynch’s lighting is certainly one of the stars of this [production. Jay Hilton’s sound and the music direction of Christie Chiles Twillie also helped make the show soar.

But at the end of the day it comes down to the performances and this production’s cast is collectively solid with some terrific individual turns, especially Trejah Bostic’s Effie, who not only found the emotional rawness of the show’s signature song — “(And I’m Telling You) I’m Not Going” — but demonstrated her range in her equally effective and nuanced “I’m Changing.” Mykal Kilgore simply burns up the stage as Jimmy, the entertrainer who gives the trio its first break. And what extraordinary vocal chops. It’s one of the most delightful and energetic performances of the season. Every time he stepped on the stage, he owned it.

Applause, too, for Kirsten Hodges as Lorrell and Ta-Tynisa Wilson as Deena, who make up the core of the fabulous female trio. Shantel Cribbs has a few nice moments as Effie’s replacement.

With “Dreamgirls,” — which followed another musical well outside the theaters wheelhouse: the terrific new hard-driving musical “The 12” — Goodspeed is demonstrating that it seeks to expand its repertoire — and audience — with more contemporary sounding shows.