Motown: The Musical
The Debut For Motown: The Musical Is Just A Week Away.
“Motown: The Musical” which boasts the largest ensemble of any show currently on Broadway (over 35 performers and nineteen musicians), is scheduled to open at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater in New York City.
The show begins previews on March 11 and officially opens on April 14. It was written by Motown Records’ founder Berry Gordy Jr. and features music and lyrics from the Motown catalog.
Berry Gordy Jr.
The show traces Gordy’s rise from a struggling boxer and autoworker to a music mogul who made stars of Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5 and others.
The musical features hits ranging from The Contours’ “Do You Love Me”, “Dancing In The Street” by Martha and The Vandellas, “My Girl” by The Temptations.
Although the show is from Gordy’s perspective and pivoting around his romance with Diana Ross, it doesn’t duck some of the criticism that surrounded him.
Gordy told the hardest part in bringing Motown to the stage, was putting the story on paper.
Diana Left Him For $20 Million
“The hard part was writing it in the first place. When Diana left me for $20 million I was crying inside. I was crying. It was like horrible for me,” the 83-year-old admitted. “But I had to do what was best for her, because I promised her when we had our love affair that I wanted her to be the biggest star in the world, and would never let our relationship interfere with that.”
The show’s co-producer Kevin McCollum believes that “Motown: The Musical” will resonate well with audiences and he can envision the show being turned into a major motion picture.
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