Jennifer Hudson Returns to ‘Dreamgirls’ as Producer of Broadway’s Fall 2026 Revival

Jennifer Hudson is telling you, she is going to produce the Broadway revival of “Dreamgirls,” which will open in the fall.

Hudson won the Oscar for portraying Effie White in the 2006 movie version of “Dreamgirls,” a musical about the struggles of an R&B girls group amid their rise to fame. “Dreamgirls,” which co-starred Beyoncé, was Hudson’s film debut after breaking out on “American Idol.”

“Dreamgirls” opened on Broadway in 1981 and ran for almost four years. The original production was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won six, including the lead actress prize for Jennifer Holliday, whose iconic Act 1 showstopper “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” regularly brought down the house. In the New York Times review, Frank Rich wrote, “If the curtain didn’t fall, the audience would probably cheer Jennifer Holliday until dawn.”

This marks Hudson’s third Broadway producing credit following “A Strange Loop” and “Smash.” She joins producers Sonia Friedman Productions, Sue Wagner and John Johnson.

“Twenty years ago, my life changed forever because of a film called ‘Dreamgirls.’ Inspired by the iconic stage musical, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to portray the one and only Effie White—a woman whose story and voice remain an ever-present force in my life,” Hudson said. “I am beyond honored to join the extraordinary producing team behind this special, newly reimagined Broadway revival, and to help bring ‘Dreamgirls’ back to the stage through the visionary direction and choreography of Camille A. Brown. This fall cannot come soon enough.”

The upcoming production, which Camille A. Brown will direct and choreograph, marks the first Broadway revival since 1987. Casting has not been announced yet but the producers said they would hold auditions for “talented women of all shapes and sizes” across the globe.