Music, Energy Carry Show

Review
05:48 PM PST on Tuesday, November 14, 2006
By SHERLI LEONARD Special to The Press-Enterprise

RIVERSIDE - "Dreamgirls" explores racial prejudice in the 1970s, showbiz corruption, big egos and wounded egos.

If that sounds heavy, don't despair. The Performance Riverside production, continuing this weekend, is more than a message-machine that narrowly hits on many issues. It's a visual and musical feast that will paste a smile on your face at the beginning, and practically wear out your toes from tapping.

As a story, it tells of three young women singers who start at the bottom and, through luck and manipulation, rise to the top.

It tacks on a few allusions to the history of R&B, pitches in the issue of male dominance over women, and throws in the problems of Effie, a plus-sized woman with enormous talent, wrestling with battered self-esteem.

All these powerful stories, however, never gel together, and "Dreamgirls" loses its potential for offering meaty insight.

So forget about trying to make intellectual sense of "Dreamgirls," and soak up the immense talent of both performing and technical staff.

Imaginative lighting, spare sets that barely hint at structures, and spectacular costumes -- practically one costume change for every scene -- create a hugely energetic atmosphere for the performers.How blessed are those sound designers who carefully prevent the "belters" from becoming blasters.

As Effie, the lead singer-turned-stepping-block-for-everyone-else's-ambitions, Vonetta Mixson meets every vocal demand with a voice that ranges from light and tender to power belting with the best of them.

Completely consuming, she wrenches the heart with her solo pieces, especially "One Night Only."

In a show rife with engrossing performances, Sherman McLaurin as Jimmy and Allen Christopher as Curtis earn high praise.

McLaurin's infectious joy in his singing fuels the stage with energy, and with a give-it-your-all spirit, he charges his songs, especially "Walkin' Down the Strip" and "Rap," with unabashed in-your-face attitude.

Christopher, who creates a Curtis more like a driven power-monger than a conniving manipulator, has an amazing, silky voice with pure tones at both ends of his tremendous range.

In "You Are My Dream," he neatly handles difficult vocal leaps and controls demanding lines.

The classy orchestra, powered by percussion on steroids, provides the strong through-line to support singers and dancers.

Aside from an occasional flat tone from the singers in the pit, and the awkward timing in the Las Vegas Hotel scene in front of the curtain, Performance Riverside's production of "Dreamgirls" delivers complete entertainment.