Amber Riley, star of Fox’s “Glee,” is set to play Effie in a Broadway production of “Dreamgirls” on London’s West End, the actress announced on Thursday via Twitter.
The show will debut at the Savoy Theatre in November with Riley as one of its leading ladies. She performed “And I Am Telling You” for both her audition tape and for one of her numbers as Mercedes Jones on “Glee” (see video below).
London is expecting a big performance from Riley. According to the Daily Mail, hundreds of women auditioned for the part last year, but a failure to find a sufficient lead for the production delayed its debut.
Now “Dreamgirls” producer Sonia Friedman is ready for Riley to finally bring the show back to the big stage.
“And also crying with utter excitement and pure joy, relief and happiness that this girl was going to be able to give this performance in the UK,” Friedman told the Daily Mail. “Her voice is a gift from God!”
The show will be directed by Casey Nicholaw, who has directed Broadway productions of “The Book of Mormon” and “Aladdin.” Tickets will go on sale this spring with performances scheduled to begin in November.
Well. Cat is out the bag! Been keeping this in since June see ya in London! #thedream… https://t.co/A2ThxoJZKX
— Amber Patrice Riley (@MsAmberPRiley) February 5, 2016