More Casting News for Dreamgirls Musical

Further casting has just been revealed for the West End premiere of the musical Dreamgirls.

Joining the previously announced Amber Riley as Effie are Joe Aaron Reid ((In The Heights) as Curtis(the manager who ruthlessly pushes the Dreams to international stardom using sex as a business tool), American Liisi LaFontaine as Deena, London-based  Ibinabo Jack as Lorrell, Adam J Bernard (Thriller Live!, UK Tour) as Jimmy  "Thunder" Early (a James Brown-type singer) , Nicholas Bailey /EastEnders, Jackie the Musical) as Marty Jimmy's manager and Tyrone Huntley (The Book of Mormon,) as C.C.White (Effie’s songwriting brother),

They will be joined by Jocasta Almgill, Callum Aylott, Hugo Batista, Samara Casteallo, Chloe Chambers, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Joelle Dyson, Kimmy Edwards, Candace Furbert, Nathan Graham, Ashley Luke Lloyd, Gabriel Mokake, Abiola Ogunbiyi, Sean Parkins, Kirk Patterson, Ryan Reid, Rohan Richards, Noel Samuels, Durone Stokes and Tosh Wanogho-Maud.

Riley stars as  Effie Melody White. But back-up singers Deena Jones and Lorrell Robinson will be played by LaFontaine and Jack, respectively. LaFontaine lives in Los Angeles, as does Riley.

Producer Sonia Friedman and director Casey Nicholaw started holding auditions a year ago, in London, and then began looking further afield for an Effie because there are few performers able to handle the powerful numbers she has to sing.Ruth Brown and Karen Mav are Effie alternates who will take the role on Wednesday nights.

Nicholaw said that Dreamgirls composer Henry Krieger has written a new song for the beginning of the second act. There used to be a Las Vegas-style medley and that was replaced with something else;now we're putting a brand new number in