A month ago, the Broadway community was celebrating news that a Dreamgirls revival is in the works.
Now, producer LaChanze has exited the upcoming musical for “professional reasons.”
The Tony Award winner announced her exit in an Oct. 23 statement on Instagram.
“Hey good people – for professional reasons, I have made the difficult decision to step down as a producer on the Broadway revival of Dreamgirls,” LaChanze wrote. “I wish the team well and will be cheering them from the sidelines.”
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The actress and producer urged followers to stop sending her audition videos, writing: “Good luck with auditions, but please share any videos with @dreamgirlsbroadway.”
In addition to her theater work, LaChanze has appeared on screen in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, and The Help, as well as the television series East New York, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Underground Railroad, The Blacklist, Person of Interest and The Good Fight, according to her IMDb page.
The producing team for the upcoming Dreamgirls musical also includes London-based Sonia Friedman, New York producers Sue Wagner and John Johnson, as previously reported.
Five-time Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown (Hell’s Kitchen, Gypsy) is directing and choreographing the production.
A rep for Brown did not immediately respond to Urban Hollywood 411‘s request for comment on LaChanze’s exit.
The buzzed-about revival was announced in September, along with details that auditions for the lead roles will be held in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, London, Toronto, Mexico City, Amsterdam, Rome and Paris.
Dreamgirls tells the story of Black female singers Effie White, Deena Jones and Lorrell Robinson as they rise to stardom. The story was inspired by R&B groups like The Supremes and highlights the challenges and triumphs of Black women in show business.
The original musical opened on Broadway in December 1981, and starred Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Loretta Devine. It was directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, and won six Tony Awards, including Best Actress in a Musical for Holliday.
The musical inspired the 2006 film starring Beyoncé, Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy. The movie musical won two Oscars — Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Hudson and Best Sound Mixing for Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer, and Willie D. Burton.
The Broadway revival is expected to open in fall 2026.
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