After a quarter of a century, the film dream of "Dreamgirls" finally comes true, it's a pleasure to report -- not just surviving but thriving on the transition from Broadway to Hollywood.

Sharon Leal as Michelle, Beyonce Knowles as Deena and Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell form the Dreams after Effie leaves the group. Click photo for larger image. 'Dreamgirls' Starring: Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Danny Glover, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy. Director: Bill Condon. Rating: PG-13 for language, some sexuality and drug content. Web site: http://www.dreamgirlsmovie.com/ Previous story: Foxx lauds universal appeal of 'Dreamgirls' (12/24/06)

Director Bill Condon negotiates the dangerous minefield in between those two mythical towns and musical mediums that -- like all show-biz marriages -- aren't always compatible. But Condon's adaptation of the 1981 stage hit, like his screenplay for "Chicago," works because of the kinetic energy and electricity of its musical performances.

Loosely based on Diana Ross and The Supremes, "Dreamgirls" is the tale of a Motown trio's climb from soul singing to crossover superstardom. It opens in 1962 with the nervous Dreamettes -- Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Deena (Beyonce Knowles) and Lorell (Anika Noni Rose) -- backstage at a Detroit talent show. Curtis Taylor (Jamie Foxx), a Cadillac dealer and wannabe wheeler-dealer, gets them a gig singing backup for big-time star James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy).

They get him as their manager. But Curtis has his own agenda and plays romantic games with Effie and Deena on the way to becoming a major music producer. Re-routing from R&B to the pop charts, he books Jimmy and the girls into an upscale Miami club. Jimmy's hyper-sexed style scares the white folks to death, but the Dreamettes don't. He makes them over as the softer, smoother "Dreams" and demotes pudgy Effie in favor of svelte Deena as lead singer -- and lead lover.

Effie's resentment leads to her replacement and to her powerful anthem, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," brilliantly and show-stoppingly performed with Janis Joplin-style blood 'n' guts. That, and her second explosive number, "I Am Changing," drew unabashed cheers and applause at the preview screening.

Knowles' sound and non-fury mirror Ross' own. Her Deena sings as beautifully as her model, and she acts with fine restraint. Foxx, on the other hand, looks uncomfortable as a bad guy and in the musical numbers.

Beyonce Knowles, left, as Deena and Jamie Foxx as Curtis in "Dreamgirls," which is loosely based on Diana Ross and The Supremes. Click photo for larger image.

But Eddie Murphy! He and his pompadour are fabulous. His Jimmy Thunder starts out as an over-the-top caricature of James Brown, Little Richard and Marvin Gaye, but he tones down and gets seriously soulful as his character and songs progress. Murphy reportedly had to be talked into this part, but it's his best film role and performance in years.

Hudson's Effie, meanwhile, is the role of a lifetime. An "American Idol" finalist with no previous screen experience, she gives a knockout performance as the Dreamette who stays chocolate while the others get vanilla -- and pays a high price for having a mind, ego and attitude of her own.

Top-drawer contributions come from cinematographer Tobias Schliessler's swooping, choreographic camera and production designer John Myhre.

Some of the songs are just as sappy here as they were on stage, and I don't know if the fame-and-glitz business is really the kind of dream Martin Luther King had in mind. In their matching get-ups, the Dreams sometimes reminded me of the three black girls sharing one dress in "Hair."

But Condon brings it to life and emphasizes the struggle of African-American performers against racism and inequality. All in all, "Dreamgirls" is more ingenuous than the much-ballyhooed "Chicago" -- and great entertainment from beginning to end.