MOTOWN THE MUSICAL brings dancing in the streets to Fox
-By Cate Marquis –
The Tony Award-winning Broadway hit MOTOWN THE MUSICAL brings dancing in the streets, or at least the aisles, to the Fox Theater, March 21-26. “Dancing in the Streets” is one of the many Motown hits packed into this musically irresistible production, featuring hit songs by The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and many others.
Wonderful singing voices are the highlight of this show, a delight for fans of Motown music, with the dazzling staging a close second, choreographed by Patricia Wilcox and Warren Adams, and staged by Schele Williams. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is based on producer Berry Gordy Jr.’s autobiography and tells the story of the Motown record label and producer Berry Gordy in particular, not the whole of the musical style.
Chester Gregory stars as Berry Gordy Jr., with David Kaverman as Smokey Robinson, Allison Semmes as Diana Ross and Jarran Muse as Marvin Gaye, the major players in this story. The plot is framed as a flashback from a reunion concert of his musicians, and ranging from the producer’s childhood to the eve of his sale of the record label he created to a bigger record label. Starting from nothing in Detroit, Gordy and songwriter Robinson launch an amazing line-up of young musicians and musical groups. Gordy’s romance with Supremes lead singer Ross is a big part of the later part of the musical.
Gordy has been hailed as the father of the Motown sound and credited with breaking the era’s racial segregation between mainstream pop music for white audiences and “race music” for black audiences. Actually, this breakthrough had been long in the making, ever since the late Chuck Berry created rock and roll, but had been postponed with the launch of Elvis Presley, a white man who could sing black music, which maintained the two-tiered pop music industry. Gordy disrupted that status quo with the new sounds of Motown soul.
None of that larger historical context is actually part of this musical, which just focuses on Gordy’s life, but it does not matter to audiences. What they really came for are all those Motown hits. Here MOTOWN THE MUSICAL delivers in style, presenting an impressive string of favorite familiar hits, staged in glittering style and sung by glorious voices. “Dancing’ in the Streets” is one of those, as are hit like “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “My Girl,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Shop Around,” “Where Did Our Love Go,” “War,” and “What’s Going On,” among others. Comparing the first songs on that list with the last two illustrates the range and evolution of the music as the buttoned-down ’50s gave way to the expansive ’60s and turbulent early ’70s.
There are some spectacular voices delivering these hits, notably Chester Gregory as Gordy and David Kaverman as Smokey Robinson. Another standout is 11-year-old CJ WRIGHT, who alternates the roles of young Berry Gordy, young Stevie Wonder, and young Michael Jackson with 12-year-old RAYMOND DAVIS JR. Young Wright is a total charmer, exuding appeal and confidence, and displaying an impressive set of pipes.
There are several wonderful production numbers. Judith Franklin’s Martha Reeves gets the show rolling with her high energy “Dancing in the Street.” Fabulous costumes as well as singing are a highlight of Semmes’ numbers with the Supremes and later as solo artist Diana Ross.
One of the things that is a bit odd is that the musical also includes less familiar songs, and even some that were not hits. With so many hits to draw on, it is puzzling why this musical wouldn’t just mention those disappointments in dialog instead of presenting them on stage. Much of the plot centers on Gordy’s romance with Diane Ross and it glosses over criticisms of Gordy’s financial treatment of his artists.
Irresistible music, gorgeous production numbers and wonderful voices are the highlights of this show. The staging includes a mix of backdrops projected on movable screens or above the stage, an ambitious endeavor that experienced a few video glitches on opening night. Still, it is the performance and the music that mattered most to the audience, who seemed to have a splendid time.
Fans of Motown music, young or old, will find MOTOWN THE MUSICAL a real treat, bringing back favorite hits staged with all the era’s sparkle and sung by some gifted performers for Boomers and introducing younger fans to the whole experience.
© Cate Marquis
