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Berry Gordy and Motown Special

Re: Gordy to hold auditions for Michael Jackson and others in Motown Musical

Monday April 1st, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT is showing a spot on the musical including
a clip of the J5 era.
 
Re: Gordy to hold auditions for Michael Jackson and others in Motown Musical

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RaymondLukeJr Raymond Luke Jr 14 Apr
@SpikeLee @MotownMusical it was a honor meeting you!
 
Re: Gordy to hold auditions for Michael Jackson and others in Motown Musical

I attended the musical on March 18 and it is great! Highly recommended for any Motown fan!! ;)
 
We could potentially have both 'Thriller Live' and 'Motown the Musical' in London at the same time! (Just need 'The wiz' or the Soul train' musical to make it an MJ hat-trick :) :)
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Motown UK ‏@MotownUK · 8h8 hours ago
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Motown The Musical hits London's Shaftesbury Theatre in February 2016!

https://www.londontheatredirect.com...SICAL+-+Motown&utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=cpc

Motown: The Musical information: Running time: Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm Thursday and Saturday at 3pm

11 February 2016 to 22 October 2016

Motown: The Musical group rates
Standard groups rate :
10+ £45
40+ £35
Valid Monday to Thursday

Special offer group rate
10+ £39.50
40+ £32.50
Valid Monday to Thursday
Book and pay by November 6th 2015.

Motown features more than 50 classic songs from the likes of Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, among many others. Based on the true story of Berry Gordy, the show reveals how this young man from Detroit came to create one of the most influential music labels in the world and discovered countless future legends - then it brings those legends together for the ultimate celebration.

The show has already proved a hit on Broadway, opening in 2013 with the brilliant Brandon Victor Dixon - who went on to earn an Olivier nomination for his role in the West End production of The Scottsboro Boys - playing Gordy. (I'm secretly hoping he might reprise his role over here...) After winning four Tony awards, Motown embarked on a national tour last year, and is set to return to Broadway this July. And now we can join in the fun here in London.

Motown will be replacing the outgoing Memphis at the Shaftesbury Theatre in February next year - and, like Memphis, looks set to have audiences on their feet every night. In fact, with so many songs to get through, including hits like ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’, ‘ABC’ and ‘Dancing In The Street’, I can’t imagine there’ll be much opportunity to sit down. It also doesn’t seem like there’ll be a lot of time for storytelling - but then again, when the whole point of the story is the music, what better way to tell it than to let the tunes speak for themselves?

https://www.londontheatredirect.com...Set-To-Have-London-Dancing-In-The-Street.aspx

(Dear Mods: I wonder if the title of this thread could be amended to just 'Berry Gordy and Motown: The Musical'?
 
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Re: Gordy to hold auditions for Michael Jackson and others in Motown Musical

All the reviews for the touring company have been phenomenal. Especially for the kid playing Michael /Berry/Stevie.

They love the musical but not the book, but Berry's autobiography was panned as well. (I love it).
This would be a good place to post reviews.
 
Berry Gordy has been in London recording a Radio 2 interview about Motown with Paul Gambaccini (Radio DJ). I understand that the interview will be broadcast sometime on Christmas Eve on BBC radio (Further details are still awaited).

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Extract from : Jazz-Soul Groove Part 1

I recently had the good fortune to be invited to the recording of a BBC Radio 2 show presented by Paul Gambaccini, with the guests being Berry Gordy Jr. and Vicki Wickham. As you may know, Vicki was the programme editor of Ready Steady Go! in the mid-60s and along with friend Dusty Springfield was a champion of the Motown Sound in the early days.

I spotted a few familiar faces in the audience including David Nathan who was a co-founder of the Soul City record shop in 1966. The interviews were punctuated by live vocalists performing Motown hits and never having been a fan of Motown tribute acts I must say that they were all very good.

The principle reason for Berry Gordy being in Britain was to promote the forthcoming Motown The Musical opening on February 11th at the Shaftsbury Theatre in London’s West End. The vast majority of the dialogue did however relate to Motown in the 60s and its growth in Britain which was great for me as that is the exact period covered in my forthcoming book, Stay In The Blue Groove: The story of the Tamla Motown Appreciation Society due out around April of next year.

Mr Gambaccini had clearly done his homework and was bold enough to ask BG some probing questions including why the ’65 Motown tour of Britain had been a box office disaster and what were his views? Berry, ever the skilled statesman simply batted the question to one side by saying that he was not involved, having left that side of the tour to others! The show will make good listening and is scheduled for broadcast on Christmas Eve.

http://groovesvilleusa.com/blog/?p=67
 
I hope the cast will sing something from the MJ/ Jackson's repertoire at this event....
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Motown Records founder Berry Gordy will be honoured at the US Congress on December 3 as part of a ceremony titled 'Celebrating The Legacy Of Motown Music'.

The event is organised by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), The National Theatre, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group in in coordination with Congressman John Conyers, Jr., the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Creative Rights Caucus. Rep. Conyers (D-Michigan) plans to introduce a resolution in the House of Representatives honoring the achievements of Berry Gordy and the musical history he created through Motown Records.

The event coincides with the opening in Washington, DC of the musical Motown the Musical of which Berry is a producer. Appearing alongside Berry will be Sony Music Chairman & CEO and Motown the Musical co-producer Doug Morris and Motown the Musical co-producer Kevin McCollum. It will include performances by cast members from the North American Tour of Motown the Musical.

http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/motown-s-berry-gordy-to-be-honoured-at-us-congress/063498
 
Further casting announced for Motown The Musical at Shaftesbury Theatre (London UK)

November 26, 2015

Further casting has been announced for the Tony Award-nominated Motown The Musical, which makes its West End debut in February 2016.

The West End production is set to begin previews at the Shaftesbury Theatre from 11th February 2016, with a press night on 8th March 2016, and is currently booking until 22nd October 2016. The latest casting news sees the addition of Charl Brown as Smokey Robinson and Sifiso Mazibuko as Marvin Gaye.

They join the previously announced cast of Cedric Neal (Berry Gordy), Lucy St. Louis (Diana Ross), Keisha Amponsa Banson (Mary Wells), Cherelle Williams (Mary Wilson), Cleopatra Rey (Gladys Knight), Cindy Belliot (Anna Gordy), Aisha Jawondo (Martha Reeves), Samuel Edwards (Jackie Wilson), Brandon Lee Sears (Tito Jackson), Joshua Liburd (Eddie Kendricks) and Simeon Montague (Jermaine Jackson). The ensemble includes Daniel Bailey, Edward Baruwa, Tanya Nicole Edwards, Eddie Elliott, Christopher Fry, Alex Hammond, Edward Handoll, Simon Ray Harvey, Elias Hendricks, Brian James Leys, Jayde Nelson, Simone Mistry Palmer, Carl Spencer and Marcel J Whyte.

With just $800 borrowed from his family, Motown founder Berry Gordy, goes from featherweight boxer to heavyweight music mogul, discovering and launching the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and many more. Motown the Musical uncovers the true story of the legendary record label that changed music history and created the soundtrack of a generation.

Motown The Musical is based on the book To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, The Memories of Motown by Berry Gordan. It made its world premiere at the Lunt –Fontanne Theatre, New York in April 2013, where it ran for over 700 performances and was nominated for four Tony Awards. It embarked on its first US National Tour in Chicago in spring 2014.

The show features a sixteen piece orchestra playing fifty Motown hits, including ‘My Girl’, ‘Dancing In The Street’, ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’, ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’, ‘I’ll Be There’, and ‘Stop! In The Name Of Love’.

Directed by Charles Randolph Wright, the production has music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Ethan Popp, co-orchestrations and additional arrangements by Bryan Cook, dance arrangements by Zane Mark and music direction by Gareth Weedon. Choreography is by Patricia Wilcox and Warren Adams, scenic design by David Korins, costumes by Esosa, lighting by Natasha Katz, sound by Peter Hylenski and projections by Daniel Brodie.

Motown The Musical is produced in the West End by Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris, Berry Gordy and Adam Spiegel and features Tara Wilkinson as the UK associate director, with Andrew Edwards as UK associate set designer and Alistair Grant as UK associate lighting designer.

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news...or-motown-the-musical-at-shaftesbury-theatre/

(Apologies for the multiple posts, but these are all separate topics within a topic....)
 
It is interesting. It would be great Motown 25th one Blu Ray Disc.
 
Motown The Musical will be in Louisville on Apr 12-17 i might go to see it.:)
 
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Re: Gordy to hold auditions for Michael Jackson and others in Motown Musical

barbee0715 said:
All the reviews for the touring company have been phenomenal. Especially for the kid playing Michael /Berry/Stevie.

They love the musical but not the book, but Berry's autobiography was panned as well. (I love it).
This would be a good place to post reviews.
Click to expand...


That a good ideas.
 
'Motown: The Musical': Theater Review


motown_the_musical_production_still.jpg



Motown: The Musical'
Joan Marcus



Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the R&B classics from the Motor City can't be beat as Broadway's rousing jukebox musical about the birth of Motown hits the road.


f you plan to see Motown: The Musical because you’re a fan of R&B icons like Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder, then you won’t be disappointed. Classics from the '60s and '70s get ample airing, but even with a score featuring more than 40 indelible tunes, you may find yourself wanting more. Not music, but more drama. The problem with Motown — which recently went on hiatus from a successful two-year Broadway run and is planning to reopen next summer — isn’t its illustrious list of songs. It's the banal book by Berry Gordy, based on his 1994 memoir, To Be Loved. Unfortunately, whatever gift the legendary Motown founder has for discovering talent, he lacks in storytelling.



The show opens in 1983, with Gordy (Julius Thomas III) in his Los Angeles home brooding about an upcoming televised salute to Motown. It was great while it lasted, but over the years most of the people he turned into stars have left him for more lucrative contracts with major labels.

The action flashes back to Gordy’s childhood, and the landmark boxing match between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, and then skips ahead to the 1950s, when Gordy borrows money from his family to get into the record business. The scene plays out to the on-the-nose music choice, “Money (That’s What I Want).” That dovetails nicely with the Temptations’ “Get Ready,” which becomes a mashup with “Dancing in the Street.” Like any good jukebox musical, the hits just keep on coming. But instead of letting classic melodies play out, they are intercut and abbreviated in order to ensure enough time to present seemingly every artist who ever passed through the hallowed halls of Hitsville, U.S.A.


Gordy’s book doesn't help matters. It serves mainly to provide clunky dialogue links designed to set up the next number. There's little conflict for the first third of the show, as Gordy strikes up a romance with Diana Ross (Allison Semmes). She sings “I Hear a Symphony” after he has problems in bed in a Paris hotel; it's an unfortunate juxtaposition but the most conflict Motown can muster until a lawsuit with hitmaker songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland is filed, prompting a militaristic ensemble piece set to Edwin Starr’s “War.”

No sooner has the show stumbled over a little drama than it dusts itself off and continues along as if nothing happened. Martin Luther King Jr. is shot as Marvin Gaye (Jarran Muse) sings “What’s Going On,” an anthem of social unrest that resonated powerfully on the tour's opening night in Los Angeles, as the Baltimore uprising unfolded. But without attention to drama and character, such major historic events seem to form a checklist — J.F.K. assassination, Vietnam, Ross going solo.

That last occurence may appear insignificant by comparison, but it brings badly needed dimension to Ross' character in a field of flat characterizations. Unfortunately, the drama between Ross and Florence Ballard (Krisha Marcano), so dramatically captured in the semifictionalized Dreamgirls, barely warrants a nod here as the production rushes onward to introduce a young Michael Jackson, (a showstopping Leon Outlaw Jr.), not to forget Gladys Knight, (Ashley Tamar Davis), Rick James (Rashad Naylor) and Teena Marie (Melanie Evans).



A member of the Broadway ensemble, Thomas seizes the spotlight in the touring company, embodying Gordy with boyish enthusiasm. While he struggles with thin material, the full-throated tenor excels vocally, bringing warmth and empathy to his character. As Ross, Semmes carves a fine arc from flirtatious schoolgirl to pop diva. She shimmers in gowns by costume designer ESosa, as she warbles through the early classics and a fine rendition of “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” in which she engages the audience with phony sentiment.

As it is, Motown has all the crowd-pleasing chemistry it needs built into its extraordinary music, making the shaky book scenes almost superfluous. Gordy proved his entrepreneurial skills by bringing the world some of the most unforgettable music of the century. He might have proven them again by delegating script duties to a more experienced writer.



http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/motown-musical-theater-review-793193
 
why in the blue hell is Marlon played by an adult?? :doh:
I decided to watch a video to see what it was like. the way he dances is absolutely nothing like Michael did when he was a kid. he does the spin, but that's about it. and he even does that wrong. the same for the brothers. none of them used that choreography in that order for those songs, and some of it they never used at all. and they are wayy to hyper and bouncy. also, the line up is completely off. the kid sings good (of course nothing like Michael), and he's super cute, but that's about it. the rest is crap
 
BWW Review: MOTOWN THE MUSICAL Will Have You Dancing in Your Seat



By: Angie Stantom



Motown the Musical rocked into Overture Center in Madison on Tuesday night with an abundance of talent and energy delivering the memorable Hitsville, USA classics. This Berry Gordy biopic covers his life from a young boy, striving for more, to a man who borrows money from his family and builds a recording empire. The ambitious production culminates with the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of Motown.

The cast was chock full of gifted performers, but by far the highlight of the evening was Broadway performer and Chicago native Allison Semmes with her stellar voice and truthful impersonation of a feisty Diana Ross. Leon Outlaw, Jr's rendition of a young Michael Jackson brought raucous cheers from the audience when he performed the King of Pop's iconic dance moves and spot-on vocals. Nik Walker's silky performance of Marvin Gaye's "Heard it Through the Grapevine" turned into an impromptu audience singing along.


The national tour travels with an impressive 33 actors, 15 crew members, 10 musicians, and 3 stage mangers. The production travels from city to city on 8 semi-trailer trucks. With more than 450 period costumes, the audience is easily transported back to the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The stunning costumes for the Supremes include 14 Swarovski crystal encrusted dresses and more than 900,000 beads and sequins.

Motown The Musical opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 14, 2013, and the first national tour opened May 8, 2014, at Chicago's Oriental Theatre. The musical includes more than 60 beloved hits from the Motown catalogue. The music in the show was arranged and orchestrated to resemble the original Motown recordings

Motown the Musical, directed by Charles Randolph-Wright with choreography by Patricia Wilcox (A Night with Janis Joplin) and Warren Adams (Toy Story) is the true American dream story. Motown gave birth to some of America's most iconic performers including Diana Ross & the Supremes, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson & the Jackson 5, the Marvelettes, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Lionel Richie & the Commodores, Teena Marie, and many more.

Motown the Musical's arrangements and orchestrations are by Grammy and Tony Award nominee Ethan Popp (Rock of Ages), who also serves as music supervisor in reproducing the classic "Sound of Young America," with co-orchestrations and additional arrangements by Tony Award nominee Bryan Crook ("Smash") and dance arrangements by Zane Mark (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels).


Mowtown the musical is produced by Tony Award winning producer Kevin McCollum (Rent, In the Heights, Avenue Q), Chairman and CEO of SONY Music Entertainment Doug Morris and Motown founder Berry Gordy.



http://www.broadwayworld.com/nation...L-Will-Have-You-Dancing-in-Your-Seat-20160302
 
“MORE THAN A BROADWAY SHOW, A CELEBRATION OF MUSIC THAT TRANSFORMED AMERICA!”
CBS Sunday Morning​


“A JOY RIDE! SOMETHING CLOSE TO RAPTURE SPREADS THROUGH THE AUDIENCE!”
The New York Times​


"STUNNING! Berry Gordy's story is REMARKABLE! His songs are THE SOUNDTRACK OF AMERICA."
AP​


"THERE AIN’T NO MUSICAL MOUNTAIN HIGHER! Motown is an express thrill ride into pop music heaven."
Chicago Sun-Times​



"EXHILARATING! JOYFULLY SURRENDER TO THE NON-STOP BLITZ OF HITS! THERE'S NO DENYING the power and energy of the show's arsenal of KILLER TUNES. There's AN ENORMOUS KICK from watching them performed live that NO iPOD PLAYLIST CAN MATCH."
The Hollywood Reporter​


http://www.motownthemusical.com/reviews.php
 
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