[REMOVE ADS]




Results 1 to 15 of 15
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    3,646
    Rep Power
    317

    Did mary wilson really write the broadway musical "dreamgirl"?

    Of course not,. But in this Bizzaro world, it is being written that she did.

    By Siegee Dowah, WRAL contributor

    DURHAM, N.C. — Friday is the opening date for North Carolina Central University's rendition of Dreamgirls. Originally written by Mary Wilson in 1986, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme has made way through the theatrical community by becoming a Broadway play in 1981 and then a movie in 2006. Its impact has been lasting on many thespians, including North Carolina Central University graduating senior Antwan Hawkins Jr. who is playing Curtis in this musical. This is Hawkins' final musical before he graduates this spring. “We made this show our own," Hawkins said.


    How could a book that Mary wrote in 1986 become a Broadway Musical in 1981 five years before she wrote her book?

    The play was inspired by the story of the Supremes, but it is not their story as Mary has said so many times and she should know. She says that it cant be their story because she wasn't paid. But five years after the debut of the successful musical, Mary released her book and titled it DREAMGIRL which caused even more confusion.

    Of course the movie was inspired by the play, but ripped off much from the Supremes including gowns, album covers, moving the record label to Detroit etc.

    It is all just a bunch of nothing, but it caught my eye when the author of this piece said that Mary wrote the play.

    Or is this just more fake news? 🙄🙄😉

    https://www.wral.com/north-carolina-...able/18952732/

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    5,666
    Rep Power
    312
    Well, Dreamgirls opened on Broadway in 1981 after several years of development. Wilson's book was published 5 years later. And after glomming its title from the Broadway musical. Sooooo ...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    4,000
    Rep Power
    262
    Easy answer.....NO

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Posts
    588
    Rep Power
    135
    Just amateur reporting. Some kid who doesn't know even to check facts via wikipedia before pressing 'publish'.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    5,666
    Rep Power
    312
    Quote Originally Posted by Levi Stubbs Tears View Post
    Just amateur reporting. Some kid who doesn't know even to check facts via wikipedia before pressing 'publish'.
    True. And, yet ... none of the Wilson 'experts' have jumped in to deny this absurd claim, so it gains a grain of trumpian 'truth' now that it's on the internet.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    927
    Rep Power
    187
    Please.. we have a much younger than us "here, alive and being a record buying" fan at the time generation that seems to think the play and movie [[and award show speech) are the gospel truth of the Supremes story....very similar to now long ago Bette Midler's THE ROSE being believed to be the Janis Joplin bio.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    2,266
    Rep Power
    203
    Peace please as bias as you are you need to leave it alone and look ahead.
    Quote Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony View Post
    True. And, yet ... none of the Wilson 'experts' have jumped in to deny this absurd claim, so it gains a grain of trumpian 'truth' now that it's on the internet.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    8,630
    Rep Power
    516
    Quote Originally Posted by gman View Post
    Please.. we have a much younger than us "here, alive and being a record buying" fan at the time generation that seems to think the play and movie [[and award show speech) are the gospel truth of the Supremes story....very similar to now long ago Bette Midler's THE ROSE being believed to be the Janis Joplin bio.
    And for that we can blame the folks involved with the movie. The play was done in such a way that it was easy to discern the "inspired by" spirit as opposed to the "based on" line, if you had half a brain. The movie makers wanted so badly for the Dreams to be the Supremes that they did as much as they could to pattern the fictional group after the actual group. To be honest, I'm surprised Effie didn't die in the movie. The Supremes story makes for a fantastic read. It would also make for it's own great movie or even Broadway musical, but I can't see a world where these two things will ever happen because the film maker will inevitably run into the prospect that people will sit it out because the audience will believe they've seen this before.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,248
    Rep Power
    291
    Jennifer Holiday left the show in rehearsals because Effie was going to die at end of Act 1 and Bennett agreed to a rewrite for her.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    6,340
    Rep Power
    346
    Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
    Jennifer Holiday left the show in rehearsals because Effie was going to die at end of Act 1 and Bennett agreed to a rewrite for her.
    LOLOLOLOLOL Now you know that story came from your fearless leader/man. So because Leader M has posted it 10 time its now true? LMAO

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    6,827
    Rep Power
    388
    Mary's book was originally titled REFLECTIONS. I have a MW Fanclub newsletter in which she talks about it.

    I think with the success of the play, Mary jumped on the bandwagon, and it worked.

    Funny also, for as much as Motown tried to denounce the movie, they sure rode the wave when the play was on Broadway. I have a Motown poster that asks ARE THE SUPREME GIRLS REALLY THE DREAM GIRLS?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    9,279
    Rep Power
    519
    Quote Originally Posted by marybrewster View Post
    Mary's book was originally titled REFLECTIONS. I have a MW Fanclub newsletter in which she talks about it.

    I think with the success of the play, Mary jumped on the bandwagon, and it worked.

    Funny also, for as much as Motown tried to denounce the movie, they sure rode the wave when the play was on Broadway. I have a Motown poster that asks ARE THE SUPREME GIRLS REALLY THE DREAM GIRLS?
    A similar quote was stickered onto the CAPTURED LIVE ON STAGE re-issue. Given how popular the musical was, it is not surprising that Mary and Motown capitalized on it.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    678
    Rep Power
    204
    Quote Originally Posted by Roberta75 View Post
    LOLOLOLOLOL Now you know that story came from your fearless leader/man. So because Leader M has posted it 10 time its now true? LMAO
    Actually, that story is true, at least according to Jennifer Holiday herself who tells about it in an interview with The New York Times in December 1981:

    Since working in the theater didn't mean that much to Miss Holliday, she dropped out of ''Dreamgirls,'' which was developed further in two more workshops under Mr. Bennett's direction. ''Last March,'' she said, ''I got a call from Michael to come back to New York for the fourth workshop. But I saw right away that the show had changed so much. My story, the story of Effie, now ended with the first act. The second act was mostly about Deena Jones.''
    Effie and Deena are part of a trio strongly resembling the Supremes. Just as the girls are becoming successful, the overweight Effie is pushed out of the act and replaced by a slender singer because the trio's conniving manager wants the group to have a streamlined appearance that will appeal to white audiences. Effie eventually triumphs on her own, overcoming the corrupt practices of the music business that nearly kill her career.
    ''I became upset and very depressed,'' Miss Holliday went on. ''I thought Michael had lied to me. He was telling me how great it was to be a star on Broadway, but I didn't see how I'd accomplish this being in a secondary role.

    https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/22/t...-his-star.html

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    1,901
    Rep Power
    221
    Quote Originally Posted by marybrewster View Post
    Mary's book was originally titled REFLECTIONS. I have a MW Fanclub newsletter in which she talks about it.

    I think with the success of the play, Mary jumped on the bandwagon, and it worked.

    Funny also, for as much as Motown tried to denounce the movie, they sure rode the wave when the play was on Broadway. I have a Motown poster that asks ARE THE SUPREME GIRLS REALLY THE DREAM GIRLS?
    I think it might have been the publisher that "suggested" Mary use the title "Dreamgirl".

    I also recall reading that Mary had planned to title her book "Reflections". In a television interview in Boston, when Mary's book was in the initial planning stages, she confirmed this. The host said he heard that her book was going to be called "Dreamgirl". Mary looked annoyed and seemed irritated that anyone would think she would title her book book after the play. I felt the same way and thought "Reflections" was the perfect title. When "Dreamgirl" was released I recalled that TV interview and Mary's reponse.

    We have seen in the record industry that the people with the money make the decisions as to album art, content and release date. I can imagine the same was true with the marketing for Mary's first book.

    It was ironic that Motown distanced itself from the play but then started to capitalize on it. When Motown reissued "Farewell" in 1982 as "Captured Live On Stage" the vinyl album had a round purple sticker with pink lettering "THE ORIGINAL DREAM GIRLS?" The CD release in 1993 made no similar mention.
    Last edited by johnjeb; 02-25-2020 at 02:12 PM.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    8,753
    Rep Power
    391
    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    And for that we can blame the folks involved with the movie. The play was done in such a way that it was easy to discern the "inspired by" spirit as opposed to the "based on" line, if you had half a brain. The movie makers wanted so badly for the Dreams to be the Supremes that they did as much as they could to pattern the fictional group after the actual group. To be honest, I'm surprised Effie didn't die in the movie. The Supremes story makes for a fantastic read. It would also make for it's own great movie or even Broadway musical, but I can't see a world where these two things will ever happen because the film maker will inevitably run into the prospect that people will sit it out because the audience will believe they've seen this before.
    actually neither a film or play on The Supremes will ever happen because neither Diana Ross nor Berry will allow it. you'd have to get permission from the owner of the Jobete catalog to use the songs. You'd have to get permission from the various people it would be portraying.

    the Motown Musical was developed because it was a rather sanitized version of history. it didn't delve too deep into the real drama or problems.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

[REMOVE ADS]

Ralph Terrana
MODERATOR

Welcome to Soulful Detroit! Kindly Consider Turning Off Your Ad BlockingX
Soulful Detroit is a free service that relies on revenue from ad display [regrettably] and donations. We notice that you are using an ad-blocking program that prevents us from earning revenue during your visit.
Ads are REMOVED for Members who donate to Soulful Detroit. [You must be logged in for ads to disappear]
DONATE HERE »
And have Ads removed.