Motown: The Musical

Motown: The Musical is a jukebox musical that premiered on Broadway in April 2013. The musical is based on Berry Gordy's autobiography To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown (1994),[1] and on the history of his founding and running of the Motown record label, and his personal and professional relationships with Motown artists such as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and Michael Jackson. The production's music and lyrics are taken from selections from the Motown catalog.[2] It received four nominations at the 67th Tony Awards.

Motown: The Musical
MusicVarious Artists
LyricsVarious Artists
BookBerry Gordy
BasisTo Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown by Berry Gordy
Productions2013 Broadway
2014 US Tour
2016 West End
2016 Broadway Revival
2018 UK Tour

Productions

Motown: The Musical premiered on Broadway, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, on April 14, 2013, after previews starting on March 11.[3][4] The production was directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, with choreography by Patricia Wilcox, scenic design by David Korins, costumes by ESosa, lighting by Natasha Katz, sound design by Peter Hylenski, and projection design by Daniel Brodie. Music supervision and arrangements were by Ethan Popp, with orchestrations by Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook.[3]

The musical finished its original Broadway run on January 18, 2015, closing after 37 previews and 738 regular performances.[5]

A national tour began in April 2014, featuring Clifton Oliver and Allison Semmes.[6]

The show returned to Broadway on July 12, 2016,[7] for an announced 18-week run at the Nederlander Theatre.[8] However, the run closed earlier than expected, on July 31, 2016.[9]

After speculation that a London production would be staged in the Dominion Theatre, which will be refurbished after We Will Rock You closes,[10] an eventual West End production was announced in May 2015 for the Shaftesbury Theatre, which began on February 11, 2016,[11] running until April 20, 2019.[12] The West End production was directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, who also directed this musical on Broadway and its US tour. The cast stars Cedric Neal (as Berry Gordy), Lucy St. Louis (as Diana Ross), Sifiso Mazibuko (as Marvin Gaye), and Obioma Ugoala (as Smokey Robinson).[13][14] A UK and Ireland tour began on October 11, 2018, at The Alexandra, Birmingham.

Synopsis

In 1983, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, recording stars are gathered to celebrate Motown Records' 25th anniversary. In a flashback, the young Berry Gordy watches the neighbors dancing in Detroit. In 1957, the adult Berry forms his own record label, and begins to make lifelong friends with recording artists/singers such as Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson. Berry discovers the Supremes and Diana Ross, among many others.

The recording stars sing their popular numbers, including: Diana Ross ("I Hear a Symphony", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", and "You're All I Need to Get By"), Stevie Wonder, The Supremes ("Buttered Popcorn", "Where Did Our Love Go"), The Miracles ("Shop Around"), The Marvelettes ("Please Mr. Postman"), Mary Wells ("Bye Bye Baby"/"Two Lovers Medley"), The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas ("Dancing in the Street"), The Contours ("Do You Love Me"), and The Jackson 5.[15]

Original casts
Character Broadway (2013)[16] U.S. Tour (2014) West End (2016) U.K. Tour (2018)
Berry Gordy Brandon Victor Dixon Clifton Oliver Cedric Neal Edward Baruwa
Marvin Gaye Bryan Terrell Clark Jarran Muse Sifiso Mazibuko Shak Gabbidon-Williams
Smokey Robinson Charl Brown Nicholas Christopher Charl Brown Nathan Lewis
Diana Ross Valisia LeKae Allison Semmes Lucy St. Louis Karis Anderson
Young Berry Gordy/Young Michael Jackson/Young Stevie Wonder Raymond Luke Jr./Jibreel Mawry Reed L. Shannon Eshan Gopal Joshua Vaughan
Leon Outlaw, Jr. Kwame Kandekore Keiran Edwards
Joshua Tikare Mickell Stewart-Grimes
Yami Mirazi

Musical numbers

The musical contains a total of 66 songs. The following song list is not the order of the songs in the production:[17]

Critical response

Charles Isherwood, in his review for The New York Times, wrote: "More than 50 songs...are performed in 'Motown,' usually, alas, in truncated versions. Most are simply presented as concert versions by the actors playing the artists who made them famous, but a few are shoehorned awkwardly into the story as 'book' songs.... Making way for so much music means that 'Motown' breezily scrimps on storytelling. Characters come and go so quickly we barely have time to register their famous names, let alone get to know them.... The performers put their songs across with verve and an admirable lack of self-consciousness, given that the audience is likely to be intimately familiar with every nuance of phrasing from the original recordings...."[2]

The TheatreMania reviewer noted:

Rather than giving us a complex portrait on this fascinating businessman, the show's shoddily written book is essentially a self-serving theatrical memoir in which Gordy gets to tell his life story. But just as importantly, the piece also serves as a celebration of the music that brought America's black and white populations together in a way nothing else ever did. Perhaps that is why Gordy and his creative team, led by director Charles Randolph-Wright, seem so worried they left out an audience favorite that they crammed in more than 50 hits. The result is that too few of the beloved Motown classics receive the kind of full-scale, all-out renditions they deserve. An early, extended version of Martha & The Vandellas' 'Dancing in the Street' proves not just a high point (abetted by energetic choreography from Patricia Wilcox and Warren Adams), but a false promise of what lies ahead....The one person who truly shines, though, is Valisia LeKae as Gordy's longtime paramour, superstar Diana Ross. It's not just her almost spot-on re-creation of Miss Ross' breathy voice and steely demeanor that commands our attention. The consistent display of her genuine star power — most evident in a thrilling 'Reach Out and Touch' segment — also draws us in.[18]

Awards and nominations

Broadway production
Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result
2013 Tony Award Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Valisia LeKae Nominated
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Charl Brown Nominated
Best Orchestrations Ethan Popp & Bryan Crook Nominated
Best Sound Design of a Musical Peter Hylenski Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Actress in a Musical Valisia LeKae Nominated
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Raymond Luke Jr. Nominated
Theatre World Award Valisia LeKae Won
Fred and Adele Astaire Awards Outstanding Choreographer in a Broadway Show Warren Adams & Patricia Wilcox Nominated
Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show Eric LaJuan Summers Won

References
  1. Haithman, Diane (December 11, 1994). "Talk! In the Name of Love". Los Angeles Times.
  2. Isherwood, Charles (April 14, 2013). "'Motown: The Musical,' Berry Gordy's Story". The New York Times.
  3. Hetrick, Adam (April 14, 2013). "'Hail to the Beat': 'Motown: The Musical' Opens On Broadway April 14". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013.
  4. McCollum, Brian (February 7, 2013). "Berry Gordy's 'Motown: The Musical' preparing to make Broadway debut". Detroit Free Press.
  5. Hetrick, Adam & Gioia, Michael (January 18, 2015). "Motown Moves Out; Hit Broadway Musical Closes With Promise of 2016 Return". Playbill.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  6. Hetrick, Adam & Gans, Andrew (April 21, 2014). "'Motown' National Tour Extends Chicago Engagement to August". Playbill.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  7. Baron, Tricia. "'Motown The Musical' Celebrates Its Second Broadway Opening" theatermania.com, July 15, 2016.
  8. Viagas, Robert; Adam Hetrick (December 6, 2015). "Motown Sets Dates and Theatre for Broadway Return". Playbill.
  9. Viagas, Robert (July 21, 2016). "Breaking: Broadway Motown Announces Closing". Playbill.
  10. "'Motown: The Musical' boogies into Dominion after We Will Rock You?". What's On Stage. March 11, 2014.
  11. "Motown the Musical to open at the Shaftesbury Theatre". London Theatre. May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  12. Desk, BWW News (August 15, 2018). "MOTOWN THE MUSICAL Will Play Final West End Performance 20 April 2019". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  13. Motown: The Musical website.
  14. "Casting Announced for Motown The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre". October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  15. Saltzman, Simon (April 13, 2013). "Review: 'Motown: The Musical'". CurtainUp.
  16. "Broadway 2013" ibdb, retrieved December 30, 2018
  17. "Motown: The Musical — Songs". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  18. Lipton, Brian Scott. "Review. 'Motown: The Musical'" theatermania.com, April 14, 2013
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