IT was billed as an 'unforgettable journey' and promised a night of music and glitter. 

But a local production of Dreamgirls has been cancelled after the show's owners pulled the rights to stage it because only one of the cast members was black. 

Gillian Banks Theatre School had hoped to stage the musical - which charts the rise of a black singing trio - at Rotherham Civic Theatre later this month and had secured permission from the agency that manages the rights to the show.

But after it emerged the cast was mainly white and it had only cast one black actor as antagonist Curtis Taylor Jnr the agency revoked the licence. 

The theatre school, based in Maltby, South Yorkshire - where the white population exceeds 90 per cent - said there was 'never any intention to 'whitewash' this production'.

It said it had sought a diverse cast but was ultimately constrained by the demographics of those who came forward. 

'We are just a little dance school in one of the most deprived areas of Rotherham trying to give experiences to our students on a very small scale,' it said in a statement.

The musical was written by Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger in 1981 and adapted into a 2006 film starring Beyoncé as Deena Jones — a character based on Diana Ross — as well as Jamie Foxx as Taylor, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar for her role as Effie White.

It charts the rise of a fictional black female singing trio, the Dreamettes, as they become superstars in the 1960s and 70s.

The academy, which once counted Barry Chuckle of the Chuckle Brothers as a patron, has been open for nearly 50 years. 

It currently has about 200 students on its books. It had already started selling tickets for the June show.

Concord Theatricals, which owns the rights to thousands of shows, said the school was explicitly informed that Dreamgirls must feature a diverse cast that reflected the historical reality of its content. 

When a casting sheet made clear that this requirement had not been met, the agency stepped in, The Sunday Times reported.

It insists that productions are cast 'authentically' and 'responsibly'. 

This is the first time the script rights for Dreamgirls have been rescinded since Concord began managing the musical in the 1980s.

In a note sent to Gillian Banks Theatre School, Concord said: 'Dreamgirls is a show about a time in black American music history when rhythm and blues blended with other styles of popular music, creating a new American sound.

'It tells the story of the Dreamettes and celebrates their rise to fame, echoing similar trajectories of iconic black girl and boy groups of the time like the Supremes, the Marvelettes, the Temptations and the Shirelles. 

'Your production should be appropriately cast to represent and reflect these artists and their history.'

Concord told The Sunday Times it had tried to resolve the dispute before revoking the rights. 'We also offered alternative titles from the hundreds of other musicals we had available to them,' it said. 

'Following the casting announcement, we asked the group to recast the production appropriately; the licence was subsequently revoked.'

The school said: 'We are good people trying to give young people from all backgrounds opportunities on stage. 

'Colour doesn't come into this anywhere for us, because everyone is equal and judged on their talent — the best talent for the character.

'There was nothing racist about our intentions [and] although Concord sent emails there was nothing in the contract. It has all caused a lot of stress and anxiety and disappointment.'

Despite efforts to encourage black actors to try out for parts, the school said 'we did not receive enough auditions' and that 'all casting decisions were made in good faith and with the intention of providing opportunities for the performers who auditioned'. 

The white population of Maltby East exceeds 90 per cent, according to the 2021 census.

An American-based blogger who regularly writes about Dreamgirls productions is understood to have reported the school to Concord, the newspaper reported. 

The school said: 'We know many of our performers are deeply upset and disappointed by this news, and understandably so.' 

Its statement concluded by defending the students and announcing a 'new variety production … celebrating Motown, musical theatre and jukebox classics, featuring our incredibly talented cast' to ensure their hard work 'will not go to waste'.