The Daily Mail newspaper has reported that the producer Sonia Friedman (and recent WhatsOnStage Award winner) has acquired the rights to bring the hit show Dreamgirls to the West End. The box office hit of the same name - starring big singer Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy - looks set to be equally as popular if it reaches the theatre stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXRVZ2CbkNI
After opening on Broadway in 1981, the legendary musical Dreamgirls was made into a film fifteen years later in 2006. With music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen, the musical tells the story of a young female singing trio called "The Dreams" and their rise to stardom in the Sixties. According to The Daily Mail, producer Sonia Friedman has acquired the rights to produce a full West End production, and talks are underway for the show to be directed by Casey Nicholaw (who has also directed The Book of Mormon and Aladdin).
If the musical fulfils its prophecy and does make it to London, it is thought this will not happen until perhaps the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017. Planning is still very much in the early stages and no possible venue or casting has been mentioned, other than the fact it is believed that the production will be coming to the West End in the not too distant future. The arrival of the musical would be a huge coup for the industry, as well as welcome news for fans of the film. It may also encourage new audiences to attend musical theatre, as The Book of Mormon continues to do.
Image credited to Darwin Bell's Flickr account.