puppet for her controlling husband. Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell Robinson; inspired by Supremes member Mary Wilson, is a good-natured background singer with the Dreams who falls deeply in love with the married Jimmy Early and becomes his mistress. Keith Robinson as Clarence Conrad (C.C.) White; inspired by Motown vice president, artist, producer, and songwriter Smokey Robinson, Effie's soft-spoken younger brother serves as the main songwriter for first the Dreams and later the entire Rainbow roster. Eddie Murphy as James (Jimmy) "Thunder" Early; inspired by R&B/soul singers such as James Brown, Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye, is a raucous performer on the Rainbow label engaged in an adulterous affair with Dreams member Lorrell. Curtis attempts to repackage Early as a pop-friendly balladeer. Jimmy's stardom fades as the Dreams' stardom rises, and as a result – he falls into depression (which he copes with through drug abuse). Danny Glover as Marty Madison, Jimmy's original manager before Curtis steps into the picture; Marty serves as both counsel and confidant to Jimmy, and later to Effie as well. Sharon Leal as Michelle Morris; based upon three Supremes members Cindy Birdsong, Lynda Laurence, and Susaye Greene, Curtis' secretary who replaces Effie in the Dreams and begins dating C.C. Hinton Battle as Wayne, a salesman at Curtis' Cadillac dealership who becomes Rainbow's first record producer and Curtis' henchman. Yvette Cason as May, Deena's mother Loretta Devine as Jazz Singer. Devine originated the role of Lorrell in the 1981 stage production. Dawnn Lewis as Melba Early, James' wife John Lithgow as Jerry Harris, a film producer looking to cast Deena John Krasinski as Sam Walsh, Jerry Harris' screenwriter/film director Jaleel White as Talent Booker at the Detroit Theatre talent show Cleo King as Janice Robert Cicchini as Nicky Cassaro Yvette Nicole Brown as Curtis' Secretary Mariah I. Wilson as Magic White, Effie's daughter Paul Kirby as Promo Film Narrator (voice) Musical numbers Production Pre-production In the 1980s and 1990s, several attempts were made to produce a film adaptation of Dreamgirls, a Broadway musical loosely based upon the story of The Supremes and Motown Records, which won six Tony Awards in 1982. David Geffen, the stage musical's co-financier, retained the film rights to Dreamgirls and turned down many offers to adapt the story for the screen. He cited a need to preserve the integrity of Dreamgirls stage director Michael Bennett's work after his death in 1987. That