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/
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