- Dreamgirls, May 9-July 7 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, 2750 Granville St., Vancouver. Tickets: $29-$70 at artsclub. com or 604-687-1644.
SHE doesn't demand rose petals in her toilet bowl or room-temperature bottled water in her boudoir, nor does she throw public temper tantrums at the slightest provocation, but Aurianna Angelique has still been called a diva.
It's a word that carries negative connotations, thanks to the tabloid-hyped behavior of certain high-maintenance stars, but Angelique wears the label with pride. A diva is, after all, a strong, glamorous woman with talent to spare.
"My personality is bigger than life," says the 28-yearold singer. "I just carry myself and I know what I'm good at - and I do try to stay humble."
Confidence and charisma are two attributes Angelique shares with Effie Melody White, the character she portrays in the Arts Club Theatre Company production of Dreamgirls, which runs until July 7 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage in Vancouver.
"It's weird, when I first found out I got the role I thought it would be a challenge because I don't see myself being like Effie," she says, describing her character as headstrong and confrontational. "It's kind of been a realization, through the process, that we do have similar characteristics."
With book and lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger, Dreamgirls premiered on Broadway in 1981. The Arts Club production is directed by the company's artistic managing director Bill Millerd, a West Vancouver native.
Set in the 1960s, the Motown musical is loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It follows one girl group's rise to fame, and their internal feuds along the way. Effie, famously played by Jennifer Holliday in the Broadway production, represents Florence Ballard.
The original lead singer of The Dreamettes, Effie unquestionably has the strongest voice of the trio. But, when the group reinvents itself as The Dreams, Effie is replaced as by backup singer Deena Jones (based on Diana Ross), whose softer voice and slimmer figure are deemed more suitable for the spotlight.
American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Effie in the 2006 film adaptation of Dreamgirls, which re-popularized the showstopping number "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going."
Angelique says she has always dreamed of landing this part.
"The songs are great that she sings and she also just represents a powerful woman. She goes through struggles that a lot of women can relate to and then she comes up strong."
Though the story takes place 50 years ago, the theme of looks trumping talent is entirely relevant in today's music industry, Angelique says.
"It's becoming less and less about the voice and more about the entire package, which is unfortunate," she says. "There hasn't been, for me, a really strong diva singer in a long time because of that reason."
Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Calif., Angelique grew up idolizing Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Patti LaBelle. She started singing in church at the age of four, joined a community gospel choir, and participated in local talent shows.
"Anywhere I could get a microphone and sing, I was definitely on it."
When she performed in her first musical, Once on This Island by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, it marked a turning point.
"I played a small girl. And I knew from the moment I hit that stage. I remember coming off stage telling my mother this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life," she says. "It was kind of that first show that broke me in."
After graduating from a performing arts high school, Angelique moved across the country to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.
"And I've been singing and blessed to be working ever since."
She recently relocated to Toronto, where she performed in the Motown revue Love Train. Dreamgirls marks her Vancouver debut.
While the show chronicles the rise of one musical group, it also speaks to the broader political and cultural history of the 1960s. Motown music was in its heyday and bands were releasing melodic, danceable "crossover" hits designed to appeal to both black and white markets. The melding of soul and pop changed the course of American musical history.
"It's untouchable," Angelique says of Motown. "I think the music speaks for itself. It's really good music and I think that everyone can relate to it in their own way."
