Glee star Amber Riley will lead the London cast of Dreamgirls when the Tony Award-winning musical opens at the Savoy Theatre in November.
The UK premiere of the musical about an aspiring female singing trio will be directed by Casey Nicholaw, who also directs West End hit The Book Of Mormon and upcoming show Disney’s Aladdin.
Today’s announcement follows years of speculation about the US hit that was first seen on Broadway in 1981, going on to win six Tony Awards.
The show, which was inspired by the stories of R&B acts including The Supremes, was turned into a feature film in 2006 when it starred Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles and Anika Noni Rose.
London lead Riley will make her debut in the West End playing Effie White. Best known for playing Glee’s Mercedes Jones, the US star also won series 17 of Dancing With The Stars – America’s counterpart to Strictly Come Dancing – and appeared in the 2015 TV special The Wiz Live!
Tickets for Dreamgirls are due to go on sale later this spring, when exact dates are confirmed.
Dreamgirls will open at the Savoy Theatre following the summer run of the Sheridan Smith-led Funny Girl, which begins its West End season in April after selling out at the Menier Chocolate Factory.
The famous theatre currently houses another successful transfer, Chichester Festival Theatre’s Guys And Dolls, which plays at the Savoy Theatre until 12 March before moving its floating craps game to the Phoenix Theatre from 19 March.