The first Broadway revival of Dreamgirls will no longer open this fall as originally announced, producers have confirmed exclusively to PEOPLE, though they stress the production remains very much on track.
“The new Broadway production of Dreamgirls, directed and choreographed by Camille A. Brown, is absolutely moving forward,” producers said in a statement. “As with any major Broadway production, schedules evolve as the various elements come together, and the production will no longer open in Fall 2026. We look forward to announcing the theatre, dates and casting when they are confirmed.”
The revival was first announced in September 2025 by producers Sonia Friedman, Sue Wagner, John Johnson and LaChanze, with five-time Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown set to direct and choreograph in what would mark the first time the production has been newly staged since Michael Bennett’s original 1981 Broadway premiere. Open casting calls were held in cities across the US and abroad, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, London, Toronto, Mexico City, Amsterdam, Rome and Paris, as producers conducted a worldwide search for the show’s three leading ladies.
Earlier this year, Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony winner Jennifer Hudson, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Effie White in the 2006 film adaptation, joined the production as a producer. Speaking to PEOPLE in March, Hudson said she was drawn to the project by the opportunity to introduce Dreamgirls to a new generation and watch it transform the lives of its new stars the way the film transformed hers.
“The whole production of Dreamgirls, it creates stars,” Hudson said. “So it’s like I can’t wait to see who will bring it to the table.”
Dreamgirls originally opened at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre in 1981, directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett. Featuring music by Henry Krieger and a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen, the original production starred Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine and Obba Babatunde, earned 13 Tony Award nominations and won six. Holliday’s performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” became one of Broadway’s most iconic showstoppers.
The 2006 film adaptation starred Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Anika Noni Rose alongside Hudson, whose performance earned her both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
A theater, opening dates and casting for the revival have yet to be announced.