Los Angeles Times - Recommended
"...The action, which leaps from nightclub venues to recording studios, revolves almost exclusively around concert performance, and Longbottom's direction takes its cues accordingly. This approach, reinforced by the choreography of Longbottom and Shane Sparks, seeks to maximize pizazz, which crowds out other musical theater values, most important: emotion. The production would rather wow you than move you, and the only moisture around my eyes was a vicariously earned sweat.
But there are some vibrant comic moments, most memorable those involving Gregory's James "Thunder" Early. Once the music hits and this sexually irrepressible entertainer begins tracing the beat with his foot, any thoughts he might have of assimilationist success are hilariously thrown out the window."
Variety - Highly Recommended
"...The very pleasant surprise of the current national touring production of "Dreamgirls" is how well the original book by Tom Eyen and score by composer Henry Krieger and lyricist Eyen have held up. When this roman a clef about the creation of America's first assimilated black girl group preemed on Broadway in 1983, the general consensus was that Michael Bennett's staging and choreography, together with Tharon Musser's innovative lighting and a breakthrough perf by Jennifer Holliday, saved the enterprise. Twenty-five years later, in a pared-down production that features director Robert Longbottom's much less impressive choreography, "Dreamgirls" reveals itself to be what Eyen and Krieger's tuner always has been: top-drawer Broadway."
LA Weekly - Highly Recommended
"...Equally impressive is Longbottom's glitzy choreography and Ken Billington's lighting schema. In the key role of Effie, the outsized Dreamette who gets dumped for the prettier Deena Jones (the fine Syesha Mercado), Moya Angela is no Jennifer Holliday or Hudson. Chester Gregory channels Morris Day and James Brown and mesmerizes the audience with his turn as James "Thunder" Early. Chaz Lamar Shepherd is appropriately scurrilous as the lowlife manager Curtis Taylor."
Backstage - Highly Recommended
"...Eyen's pulpy book provides a deftly crafted framework for a blockbuster attraction filled to the brim with delicious elements. Though the electrifying look of this production (Robin Wagner's eye-popping scenic design, William Ivey Long's remarkable costumes, Ken Billington's terrific lighting, Howard Werner/Lightswitch's thrilling multimedia effects) is a wonder to behold, the heart of the production is the exemplary cast."
Broadway World - Highly Recommended
"...Slick, sleek, glitzy best describe the brand new tour production of the 1981 runaway hit Dreamgirls. Making use of the latest technology, the sometimes glaringly bright show is in your face from the top and never eases its pace for a split second. Why the excess? Today's audiences demand it."
Edge - Highly Recommended
"...Director and choreographer Robert Longbottom's re-envisioning of this musical feels like a thrill ride that starts at the top of the steepest drop and doesn't let go until it's over. Robin Wagner's set design returns to this production (he designed the mobile light towers the first time around), this time updating the look and feel of the show while retaining the streamline vision of the original. Michael Bennett's 1981 production seamlessly melded the theatrical and cinematic experience, and Longbottom tips his hat to that production in this one."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...this Dreamgirls is a delight. Robert Logbottom's direction and choreography brings vividly to life the excitement of Michael Bennett's original production; Robin Wagner's set design and Ken Billington's lighting do the job keeping things flowing from stage to backstage with lightning swiftness, and William Ivey Long's costumes are often hilariously garish. And the entire cast – especially Chaz Lamar Shepherd, Trevon Davis and Syesha Mercado – is, musically, a joy. So it's nice to have them back where they belong. On a stage. In a theater."
LA Splash - Highly Recommended
"...This is a jam-packed show, and there is something here to be appreciated by everyone. Perhaps after opening night jitters are gone, everyone will take a deep breath, and the overall tone will settle and the show will turn into a more accessible audience experience. I'm told the original Dreamgirls cast showed up for the opening, so this was sure to have added some extra extra umphf in the show I saw."
StageHappenings.com - Recommended
"...The main change is in the scenic and lighting designs by Robin Wagner and Ken Billington. William Ivey Long provides more than 400 costumes. Robert Longbottom directs. Because all the action is back-dropped by ever changing light panels, the emotion tends to get lost and you are left with a Vegas-like Dreamgirls, a lot of glitz and not much real emotion. The evening is thrilling but exhausting."
