Dream Girls

"We're your dream girls, boys, we'll make you happy...."

The show is very tightly based on events leading to the creation of Motown Records, & the artists who were on its label. It focuses on Diana Ross & the Supremes, thinly disguised as Deena Jones & the Dreams. Eddie Murphy steals the show as James "Thunder" Early. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Murphy had to come out from behind the make-up & his own strong persona & actually act. I'll bet he's glad he did; they keep giving him awards for it. The songs are powerful & Jennifer Hudson delivers the goods when she belts out her showstopper. Murphy's songs make you want to dance in your seat & wave your coat over your head.

I resented some of the major script changes. They softened Deena a little too much & I don't understand why. She starts out naive in the play, then becomes manipulative & somewhat evil. In the film she's an innocent little cupcake all the way through. It made the character banal & ineffective. They added a child to the mix, which provided for a rather implausible, maudlin moment at the end.

I would like for everyone to go see this film. If you buy tickets, they will continue to make more musicals & I will be a happy pepper. Even my musical-hating companion sat up & laughed when Murphy performed, so there is something for everyone in the show. Let that good music drag the soul right out of you.