Auditions for the lead roles in a new stage version of hit musical Dreamgirls have been put on hold out of respect for the film's star Jennifer Hudson, after her mother, brother and nephew were murdered.Open castings to the show's stars were scheduled to begin on 1 November, but theatre bosses have postponed them until 22 November.Producer John Breglio, who is overseeing the new Dreamgirls U.S. national stage tour, says the project is too closely linked to Hudson - who won an Oscar for her portrayal of ousted girlgroup star Effie White - for the auditions to go ahead.He says, "Our prayers and thoughts are with Ms. Hudson and her family at this tragic time. Due to this horrific tragedy, we feel this is not the time for a talent search for a role that is so closely connected with Ms. Hudson."Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were shot dead at their Chicago, Illinois home on Friday.The postponement of the Dreamgirls auditions comes just a day after the singer/actress reportedly identified the body of her missing seven year old nephew, Julian King, who was found dead in the back of a car on Monday.William Balfour, who was once married to the child's mother, Julia Hudson, is being questioned by police over the killings.

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