Out of Respect for Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls Casting Call Postponed to 11/22

Producer John Breglio has postponed an open casting call at the Apollo Theater for the 2009 national tour of Dreamgirls, which was set for this coming Saturday, to November 22. Bregio cited the “horrific personal tragedy” of Jennifer Hudson, who won an Academy Award playing Effie in the film version, as the reason for the delay.

Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found shot dead at their Chicago home on Friday, October 24. Her nephew, Julian King, was missing until his body was found earlier today in a parked SUV. Over the weekend, Hudson offered a $100,000 reward for the safe return of King. Donerson and King were both with Hudson for the New York premiere of Dreamgirls at the Ziegfeld Theatre in 2005.

“We feel this is not the time for a talent search for a role that is so closely connected to her,” Breglio said in a statement. “Our prayers and thoughts are with Ms. Hudson and her family at this tragic time.”

Hudson, who got her start as a contestant on American Idol, has appeared on Broadway in special one-night-only benefit performances of Hair and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. For her work in Dreamgirls, she won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA Film Award, a SAG award, and a National Board of Review award, among others.