The official companion book featuring essays exploring the production of
the film, Michael Bennett's legendary Broadway musical, and the historic
Motown revolution that inspired both. Illustrated with more than 200
color stills, concept paintings, costume designs, album art, and
archival photographs.
Twenty-five years after first bringing Broadway audiences to their feet,
the Tony Award-winning musical sensation Dreamgirls comes to the big
screen, starring Academy Award(R) winner Jamie Foxx (Ray),
Beyoncé Knowles (Austin Powers in Goldmember), Eddie Murphy (The
Nutty Professor, Dr. Dolittle), Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon),
Jennifer Hudson (American Idol), and Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose
(Broadway's Caroline or Change).
Set in the turbulent 1960s to mid-70s, Dreamgirls follows the rise of
a trio of women-Deena (Beyoncé Knowles), Effie (Jennifer Hudson), and
Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose)-who have formed a promising singing group
called The Dreamettes. At a talent competition, they are discovered by
an ambitious manager named Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx), who offers
them the opportunity of a lifetime: to become the back-up singers for
headliner James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). Curtis gradually takes
control of the girls' look and sound, eventually giving them their own
shot in the spotlight as The Dreams. That spotlight, however, begins to
narrow in on Deena, finally pushing the less attractive Effie out
altogether. Though The Dreams become a crossover phenomenon, they soon
realize that the cost of fame and fortune may be higher than they ever
imagined.
Capturing the extraordinary visual style and power of the movie, the
book features more than 200 color stills, drawings, concept paintings,
costume designs, storyboards, album art, and archival photos about the
cast, music, choreography, costumes, production, set design, and
historical foundation for the period when the story occurs.
The text, including extensive interviews with Bill Condon and others in
the cast and crew, is written exclusively for the Newmarket book by
distinguished writers Martin Gottfried (author of Broadway Musicals
and All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse) and Cheo Hodari
Coker (journalist and author of Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and
Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G.).
