Living the Dream
MARION MCMULLEN talks to the stars of Dreamgirls about taking the hit show on tour
You’re about to head off on the first UK tour of Dreamgirls. What does the award-winning show about three 1960s singers mean to you?
Nicole Raquel Dennis (who plays Effie White): I remember the beginning of Youtube and I saw a video of the original production. I think I was 13 or 14, and I immediately got hooked onto the sound and the characters, especially Effie.
I just became obsessed with it. I suppose I’ve had such a long journey with this show. It is like family for me. It’s in our blood basically. Paige Peddie (who plays Lorrell Robinson): My introduction to Dreamgirls was the movie. I’m a huge Beyoncé fan and I think that was one of her first films and that initially drew me in – the whole production of it, the glamour, the music.
It’s one of those dream shows I’ve always wanted to be a part of. I went to see it when it came to the West End and I remember watching it and thinking ‘I want to be in the show’ and now, within five years, it is happening.
Natalie Kassanga (who plays Deena Jones): I must have been 11 or 12 when it first came out and I remember being in the living room with my mum and she put the film on and I think it’s the reason why I love music so much.
Honestly, there is a video of me back then singing And I Am Telling You. I remember looking at Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson and thinking I want to be them when I’m older. I remember singing and pushing myself and saying ‘I need to sound like Jennifer’.
The film was an important spark. (Laughs) Now I’m in a position were I can say ‘I am playing Deena Jones who was played by Queen B’. It’s a dream come true. It’s my World Cup.
Nicole, what was it like singing the show’s famous song And I Am Telling You on ITV’S The Voice with Jennifer Hudson?
Nicole: It feels so unreal that happened. I have to pinch myself multiple times. I don’t watch it until someone reminds me that it happened and then it’s ‘Oh, gosh, that really did happen’. My whole universe was just Dreamgirls.
What will you be taking with you on tour?
Nicole: It’s going to be different for me because I’ve never been on tour before so it’s going to be a different experience – different audiences with different vibes.
I can’t wait to start performing and be with the girls and have fun every day together. I’m also going to be taking my Nintendo Switch, just because we are going to be travelling a lot and on trains for hours. So I’ve got my Nintendo, my Kindle and my Animal Crossing. My little sister is at home and she’s 15 so that’s the way we are going to connect.
Paige: I have been on tour before so I kind of know a bit what it’s like, but I need to learn how to pack less. (Laughs) I have to bring everything so it is going to be interesting for me trying to condense. I’ll be taking a few photos with me of family and friends just so I can put them up in dressing rooms so it makes it a little bit like your home.
Where did your love of music start?
Nicole: I grew up singing in my local church choir and I played the violin for about 10 years and then I saw Dreamgirls and it was like ‘I wanna be a star’.
(Laughs) Everything just flipped from then and everything was musical theatre. I didn’t go to drama school or anything but went to lots of open calls including the open audition for Dreamgirls in 2015. I was the 20th person to audition and I didn’t get the job, but the casting director put me in something else and I started working in Disney. She later remembered me and brought me back to London and I did Book Of Mormon and then Dreamgirls.
Paige: I also grew up singing in church and children’s choirs. My mum was a singer and used to sing with her two best friends and as a child I would be there in my buggy soaking in all the harmonies. I wanted to be like them.
My church was also supportive even when I look back on videos of my singing then and I think ‘I wasn’t that great’. I did drama as well but I kind of put it all on a backburner later and I went to university to do HR, human resources. I became involved with musical theatre groups there and I wanted to go to the open call for Dreamgirls, but I had an assignment that day and couldn’t make it .... but it’s all worked out in the end. Natalie: My love of music began at home with my mum playing all different kind of artists that I fell in love with like Aretha Franklin, Maria Carey, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson. All of those amazing artists.
My mum saw in the paper there were open calls for The Lion King and I went for an audition and I made my West End debut as baby Nala and that led to proper training. It made me realise this is what I want to do.
Dreamgirls is touring the UK from December 14. Go to Dreamgirlsthemusical.co.uk for tour dates and booking information.