KALAMAZOO–There’s something so right about putting on theater in a church.

Though the Black Arts and Cultural Center’s Face Off Theatre Company normally makes its home on stage at the Epic Theater in downtown Kalamazoo, its current production, the ambitious and dazzling Tony-Award-winning musical Dreamgirls, went up Thursday night at the Lake Center Bible Church.

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The 1981 musical follows a fictional 1960s girl group from Chicago, the Dreams, and their rise to fame, loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It focuses on the cost of fame for one particular group while also speakingto the personal, professional, and cultural compromises African Americans
have made to show up in white America.

There are no religious overtones here, though there is anguished redemption, especially in key players’ glorious resistance to injustice.

It’s a uniquely American story, full of uniquely American music, from R&B to disco, and it plays magnificently in a windowless church with an extraordinary sound system that feels like a night club.

Director and co-founder of Face Off Theatre Marissa Harrington puts together a triumphant show with an extraordinary 26-person cast full of virtuoso performances. Her focus on character development and careful blocking rather than set (for which there is none to speak of) to keep the rapid-fire scenes engaging works beautifully. Relationships develop and crumble, characters rise, fall, and make comebacks, and the audience pays attention to what actually matters.

What truly matters in this sung-through musical is, indeed, the music. The nearly 40 numbers rely on a live six-person orchestra, powerful singers, strong choreography (especially for the men) by Brooklyn Washington and ever-changing fabulous costumes and wigs to show, along with the changing music and dance, the evolution from 1962-1975.

Music Director Jonathan Boyd pulls the most out of the show’s leads in explosive solos while also blending voices in huge ensemble numbers and those that focus on the trio of women. However, practically every number ismequally huge, and a more nuanced build would have brought some relief and variation in pacing.

The show, at its core, is a battle of divas, and these divas are stunning and distinct. Christie Lee Coleman is a powerhouse as Effie, the role made famous by Jennifer Holliday on Broadway and Jennifer Hudson on screen. Her bold and tormented Act I closer “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” nearly brings down the house, just as it should, and her “I Am Changing” is gut-wrenching. The relationships she develops on stage feel real, as does her rivalry with Marisa Rodriguez’s Deena Jones, the character based on Diana Ross, who steals her man as well as her spotlight as the group’s lead singer. Rodriguez elegantly captures the inner turmoil of her character’s unearned privileges as well as her desires, and physically embodies the role perfectly, but her singing lacks luster and at times, is flat. Asia Mark is an exquisite and feisty Lorrell, a demanding truth teller and peace keeper who ultimately and unapologetically stands up for what’s right.

The men who try to control these divas are equally magnificent characters, thanks to wonderful performances. Este’Fan Kizer is an extraordinary vocal stylist with explosive moves and energy as the soulful Jimmy Early who refuses to whitewash his music and performances. Kizer successfully
channels James Brown for the role while making it his own and transcending mere imitation. Every time he takes the stage the temperature in the room rises, and he rightfully nearly stops the show when he goes rogue with “The Rap.”

Greg Jones is a sympathetic C.C. with a lovely melodious voice, and Nathan Mark is a strong and complex presence as the duplicitous Dreams manager Curtis.

Nearly everyone on stage holds their own, and smart, relatively minimalist technical choices pay off. Lighting by Josh Sponable is especially effective with the use of a follow spot to literally highlight solo
performances and project dramatic silhouettes onto the scrim. Images of various cities they hit on tour appear on side wall television screens to help make the nearly 20 locations clear.

Like the best church services, *Dreamgirls* aims high. It’s an enormous undertaking, and this production is an impressive success for an ambitious company in their second season.