Dreamgirls

Yesterday night I went to go see Dreamgirls at the Curran with some friends. I haven't seen the movie, so I didn't know the story beforehand, and I'm not sure if it's exactly the same.

My thoughts:
- I was impressed with the visual effects, the staging, the costumes, and the choreography.
- I enjoyed some of the songs. There were definitely songs that I did not entirely like, but I'm not sure if that was the fault of the performers or just a stylistic issue.
- I liked the performer who sang Deena better than the one who sang Effie. Effie often seemed a little over-the-top and was screaming rather than singing. Again, this may be a matter of genre/style. Also, the way Effie is written, she's not very sympathetic; she's whiny and diva-y.
- The guy who plays Jimmy Early is amazing. He's ridiculously high-energy, dances beautifully, and is totally hilarious. He reminded me a little of Chris Tucker but less annoying. I was telling my friend after the performance, I'm really not sure how they manage to find multiple performers who can fill this role, but I also thought the same about Angel when I first saw Rent.
- I've never been at a musical where the audience "interrupted" so much with intermittent clapping and running commentary. At first it was really distracting but eventually I think I got used to it.

Although I was really tired yesterday even before getting to the show, I was definitely never in danger of falling asleep; the songs were mostly upbeat and the pacing of the musical numbers was on the fast side. Overall it was a fun evening, and although Dreamgirls will not go on my favorite musicals list, it's nice to have seen it.