The night this column went out, the original Dreamgirls – Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine and Jennifer Holliday – reunited at the Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles for a special celebration of the musical’s 35th anniversary.  The evening, which was produced by Chris Isaacson, started with a bang as each lady entered to thunderous applause and immediately launched into the title song – earning the first of many standing ovations.  This special moment was, alas, a highlight that was rarely matched in a night that provided numerous great solo performances but precious few opportunities for the legendary trio to interact.  In fact, aside from the opening, they only sang together on “Family”, which closed the show.

On the positive side, Holliday sang all three of Effie’s solos, while Devine sang Lorelle’s “Ain’t No Party” and “Listen” from the film.  Since Deena doesn’t really have a song in the musical, Sheryl Lee sang “Gonna Be My Time” – which was replaced on Broadway by “One Night Only”.  Later, Holliday sang the slow version of “One Night Only”, which was followed by the disco version sung by Ralph, Devine, and Sharon Brown (who was a replacement Effie on Broadway and on tour).  One of the highlights came when Kenny Lattimore explained how seeing the show made him realize that his ambition of being a singer was not a dream.  “When I first saw you, I said, ‘Oh my, that’s a dream'”, Kenny sang to Sheryl, which led to a performance of the full scene.  It was one of the few times the audience got an idea of the magic this musical delivered 35 years ago.  In those moments, Sheryl Lee became Deana.

One of the most egregious omissions was the famous dressing room scene before “And I Am Telling You”.  If the original trio sang “Heavy” and continued through the end of the first act, the night would have gone down in history.  Quibbles aside, it should be noted that this sold out event raised money for Ralph’s DIVA Foundation and The Actors Fund.  As a benefit, performers were paid little more than an honorarium and therefore had limited rehearsal time – particularly damaging to the core trio since Miss Holliday doesn’t live in LA.  Kudos to some special friends who also performed, including Wilson Cruz, Matt Zarley, and the incomparable Frenchie Davis who kicked ass with “I Love You, I Do” from the film.  It should go without saying that highlights from this special concert can be found on BillyMasters.com.