“Dreamgirls,” the landmark musical about the rise of a 1960s girl group and the costs of fame, is officially returning to Broadway in the fall of 2026. Producers Sonia Friedman Productions, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, and LaChanze Productions confirmed the revival will mark the first time the Tony-winning show is newly directed and choreographed on the Main Stem.
Five-time Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown (for colored girls…, Choir Boy, Hell’s Kitchen) will helm the production, both directing and choreographing. Brown, who also leads her own acclaimed dance company, becomes the first Black woman to direct and choreograph a Broadway musical in over 65 years.
The revival will launch an international talent search to cast its central trio — Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson — collectively known as The Dreams. Producers announced auditions will be held in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, London, Toronto, Mexico City, Amsterdam, Rome, and Paris, seeking “talented women of all shapes and sizes.”
A Musical Legacy
First staged in 1981 at the Imperial Theatre, Dreamgirls was directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett and became a cultural phenomenon. The show earned 13 Tony nominations and six wins, including Best Book of a Musical, and made stars out of Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Loretta Devine. Holliday’s powerhouse performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” is still regarded as one of the most iconic Tony Awards moments in history.
The show returned briefly to Broadway in 1987, and a one-night Actors Fund concert in 2001 featured Audra McDonald, Heather Headley, Lillias White, Billy Porter, and Norm Lewis. In 2006, the story reached a global audience through the Oscar-winning film adaptation starring Beyoncé, Anika Noni Rose, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson, whose breakout turn as Effie won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Looking Ahead
This revival will be the first Broadway staging since 1987, and expectations are high for Brown’s fresh vision. Friedman previously produced the acclaimed 2016 West End revival of Dreamgirls in London, while LaChanze herself was in the ensemble of the 1987 Broadway production.
Additional casting and creative team details will be revealed in the months ahead. For now, the spotlight turns to the international search for the next generation of Dreams — and the promise of a new chapter for one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals.