Behind the Curtains: Loretta Devine Opens Up About Dramatic Conflicts with Sheryl Lee Ralph During Their Iconic Dreamgirls Broadway Journey

• Loretta Devine reflected on her long-standing friendship with Sheryl Lee Ralph as Ralph was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 16.
• The duo starred together in the original 1981 production of ‘Dreamgirls’ on Broadway.
• Devine recounted two instances where they had “big fights” during the Broadway show’s run.

Loretta Devine reminisced about her decades-long friendship with Sheryl Lee Ralph, sharing the rare occasions when they argued.

At Ralph’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles on April 16, Devine, 75, recounted the two “big fights” that occurred during their four years of performing together in Dreamgirls on Broadway in the early 1980s.

“Sheryl and I were roommates on Broadway in 1981 for four years,” Devine told the audience. She explained that their first conflict arose when she was repeatedly struck in the head by a flat (a wooden piece of set scenery) while waiting for Ralph, whom she thought was not moving quickly enough to go onstage. “I was like, ‘She’s trying to kill me!'” Devine joked. “Only to find out later that it was Zane, the stagehand, who would fall asleep and let the flat drop wherever.”

According to Devine, the second fight occurred when Ralph decided to paint her dressing room “Pepto-Bismol pink.”

“They took the new girls to L.A., but they wouldn’t let us go,” Devine reminisced about a promotional trip for the musical, mentioning their fellow Dreamgirls castmates. “Jennifer Holliday came. Debbie Burrell. They wouldn’t even let us come.”

“On top of that, they sent photos of a beautiful dressing room with a pink sofa, and Sheryl was determined to upgrade,” she continued. “Every night, we had to walk down to the basement, then back up the stairs to the stage, passing a huge poster of the new girls in skimpy outfits on the door.”

Devine noted that Ralph disliked the “skimpy” promotional photos. “The picture vanished. No one knew what happened to it,” she recalled. “One day, Sheryl Lee asked, ‘Loretta, do you want to know what happened to the poster?'”

“I asked, ‘Where’s the poster?’ There was a brick on the floor in front of the door. She moved the brick, and there it was. It was like rolling away the stone in the Bible!” Devine exclaimed. “I was amazed at her creativity; to this day, I admire her ability to get things done. That’s Sheryl Lee Ralph: she was strong then and still is today.”

Long before Devine and her Abbott Elementary co-star Quinta Brunson helped award Ralph with her Hollywood star, Ralph portrayed Deena Jones in Dreamgirls, with Devine as Lorrell Robinson, both serving as backup singers to Effie White (played by Jennifer Holliday) as they formed the girl group known as the Dreamettes in the early to mid-1960s.

The original Broadway production, featuring a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen along with music by Henry Krieger, ran from December 1981 to August 1985 and earned Ralph a Tony Award nomination in 1982, marking the beginning of her successful career.

The musical was adapted into a hit film in 2006, with Beyoncé taking on the role of Deena, Jennifer Hudson as Effie, and Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell. Jamie Foxx played the ambitious manager Curtis Taylor Jr., stepping into a role originally portrayed by Ben Harney.

During her Walk of Fame ceremony, Ralph shared that this honor represents “every artist who has ever felt unseen, every woman who was told to wait her turn” — especially her younger self, who was just starting her journey in Dreamgirls.

“I walked this path with purpose because I know young people are watching, and representation matters,” Ralph said. “When I step onto the set of Abbott Elementary, I carry the same joy and enthusiasm that I felt when I was 24 in Dreamgirls. I want future generations to see what’s possible and understand that their dreams are valid, their voices are powerful, and their potential is limitless.”