Broadway in the Hood to make Reynolds Hall debut with ‘Dreamgirls’
Two stories will unfold when Broadway in the Hood’s “Dreamgirls” hits the stage Saturday at The Smith Center.
One, of course, involves the “Dreamgirls” themselves: the Supremes-like singing group the Dreams, whose rise to fame involves onstage triumph and backstage heartbreak.
The other involves the dreams of local performing arts group Broadway in the Hood, which concludes its inaugural Smith Center season with its Reynolds Hall debut.
“It’s a huge undertaking,” says “Dreamgirls” producer Torrey Russell, who founded Broadway in the Hood in 2010 and calls playing Reynolds Hall “a step toward grander things.”
Broadway in the Hood’s previous productions this season — from the drama “Driving Miss Daisy” to the musicals “Once on This Island,” “Violet” and “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” — have been staged in the intimate Troesh Studio Theater and Cabaret Jazz.
With 2,050 seats, Reynolds Hall is almost 10 times as big as those venues — and represents a dream-come-true opportunity for Broadway in the Hood.
“The Smith Center is such a beautiful facility,” says Moya Angela, who teaches at Broadway in the Hood — and plays Effie White, the big-voiced singer who (SPOILER ALERT!) eventually loses her lead-singer role to more glamorous Deena Jones (Annetria Scott). “It’s the go-to place for Broadway shows in Las Vegas.”
As such, “that stage is ‘go big or go home,’ ” adds Angela, who’s performed the role of Effie “for years” — about 500 times — from New York to California. (She reprises the role next month in Tokyo.)
Broadway in the Hood previously staged “Dreamgirls” in 2013 at the West Las Vegas Library.
Performer Artis Grant remembers that production, in which he was an ensemble member.
This time around, he’s playing R&B heartthrob James “Thunder” Early, who’s responsible for the Dreams’ big break by hiring them as backup singers.
“It’s way bigger,” Grant says of this “Dreamgirls,” which will bring “the biggest audience I’ve ever had.” As a result, “everything has to be bigger — and with more life.”
Everything also has to be “so meticulous,” according to director Deidre Thompson, who’s also performed with the group. “It’s the first time we’ve ever performed one of our productions on such a grand scale. It becomes really hectic.”
At a recent “Dreamgirls” rehearsal, however, the mood is more purposeful than hectic.
Assembled in the multipurpose room of a North Las Vegas church, cast members form a circle and hold hands for a pre-rehearsal prayer, then join Russell for a round of 50 warm-up jumping jacks before starting their run-through.
Stage veteran Angela works easily alongside student performers. But it didn’t start out that way, she notes.
Initially, Russell didn’t tell the students that their teacher also was a professional actress.
“She never said who she was — we knew her as Miss Moya,” recalls Donna Hill, who plays Michelle Morris, the character who (SPOILER ALERT!) replaces Effie in the Dreams.
“When I found out, it was a little weird,” Grant admits. “But energy is everything for me.”
And his reaction to Angela’s energy as Effie?
“I just love it,” says Grant, who demonstrates his own energy during a blistering rehearsal rendition of “Fake Your Way to the Top,” the first collaboration between Early and Effie, Deena and the third member of the girl group, Lorell Robinson (LaShai Reid).
When Grant first joined Broadway in the Hood six years ago, he was “shy, timid and could barely speak,” Russell recalls. “He was maybe singing one or two notes. And now, he’s killing it — in a good way — as a leading character.”
The same was true of Hill, who “wouldn’t sing a note when she first joined the organization,” Russell adds.
Now, playing a featured role in “Dreamgirls” represents “the top of the champagne glass,” Hill acknowledges. “It’s been a long time coming. I’m usually in the background. I was shocked at being cast in a lead.”
That sort of personal growth remains a Broadway in the Hood hallmark, Russell says, noting that “we have cast members that literally come to rehearsal from a group home.”
Russell “changes lives through his organization,” says “Jersey Boys” star Travis Cloer, who plays a supporting “Dreamgirls” role: Dave, a white pop singer who (SPOILER ALERT!) swipes one of Early’s soulful tunes, “Cadillac Car,” and scores a hit with the pallid cover.
It’s not the first time Cloer has worked with Broadway in the Hood; last year, more than two dozen members sang backup on “Christmas at My Place,” his holiday album.
“I just love what (the) organization is about,” says Cloer, who became friends with Russell and eagerly accepted when Russell asked him to join the “Dreamgirls” cast.
“I’m just excited to be a part of it — to see this great show performed by an even greater organization,” Cloer says, noting how Russell “changes lives through his organization. He teaches so many things through the arts: acceptance, respect.”
Moreover, the presence of “Dreamgirls” on the Reynolds Hall stage “is all his doing,” notes Smith Center president Myron Martin. “This is his baby. … He was the one inspired to dream big.”
And now that the dream of playing The Smith Center — all of The Smith Center — has been realized, “I think we’ve seen some new audiences and they’ve seen some new audiences,” Martin adds.
Even when Broadway in the Hood’s in the big room, however, “we’re still the same,” director Thompson says. “We still hold the same beliefs and standards.”
As Russell maintains, “whether we’re at The Smith Center or at Radio City Music Hall” in New York, “we’re always going to be Broadway in the Hood.”
Read more from Carol Cling at reviewjournal.com. Contact her at ccling@reviewjournal.com and follow @CarolSCling on Twitter.
Preview
What: Broadway in the Hood’s “Dreamgirls”
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Reynolds Hall, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave.
Tickets: $34-$64 (702-749-2000, www.thesmithcenter.com)
