Based on the golden years of Motown Records, Dreamgirls follows the creation and rise of Rainbow Records, an African American-owned label that brought R&B music to the forefront of pop culture. The story centers around members of the girl group The Dreams as they capture fame with the help of their manager, razor-sharp businessman Curtis Taylor, who transforms from a used Cadillac salesman to industrious head of Rainbow Records. Power, politics and personal entanglements play out between the three members of The Dreams as they contend with the cutthroat life inside the music industry. With a Motown-inspired score created by Harry Krieger in the spirit of soul, doo-wop, funk and disco, Dreamgirls was met with widespread critical and audience acclaim after its premiere in 1981.
