Who’s She? You’re Gonna Love Jennifer Holliday’s Dreamgirls Tony Performance

OK, theater fans. This one is the mother lode! Almost two-and-a-half-million people have watched this eight-and-a-half minutes from the 1982 Tony Awards on YouTube, featuring Jennifer Holliday as Effie White and the cast of Dreamgirls singing “It’s All Over” and “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” Every night in the Imperial Theatre, audiences hooted, hollered and stood on their chairs for Holliday’s heart-wrenching performance. But the showstopping Act One finale made for equally riveting television, as the cameras zoomed in on every inch of hurt and pain on Holliday’s face. Based on the power of this legendary Tony clip, we always knew Effie would be a star on the big screen (even if it took her 24 years to get there!). Here’s the most shocking thing about this big night in Tony history: After this electrifying number, Dreamgirls somehow lost the Tony for Best Musical to Nine!