MOTOWN, THE MUSICAL
Go see this magical show! It’s the happiest musical ever! If you’re in or near Los Angeles, and you miss this limited run, you’ll be really missing out. It’s a perfect entertainment.
I’m so glad that my return to reviewing shows at the beautiful Pantages Theatre in Hollywood began with this wonderful production! I’ve had more than a passing connection to this music for many years, and it means so much to me. (More on the personal stuff later.)
Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images.
You know I rarely go ga-ga over a show, but I did this time! There’s nothing not to like about Motown, The Musical. Everything is spot-on. All creative personnel hit it out of the park. [Note: Mr. X couldn’t accompany me to opening night, so I just told him about it in-depth, and got excited about it all over again!]
What an undertaking it is! Thirty-four cast members, all or part of sixty Motown songs, (a couple of them written specifically for this musical,) seventeen musicians, and eighteen scene changes. Wow. Just wow.
Opening night was such a happy event. I felt like the whole audience was my friends!
To hear these wonderful songs sung so perfectly, and live, with an orchestra, was unbelievable. No wonder we were all screaming like we were seeing the real Jackson 5!
Photo by Joan Marcus, as is the one in the box at the top.
Going in, I hadn’t realized that this was the story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s struggle to start his now-iconic record label. And keep it going. The show is based on Berry’s1994 autobiography, To Be Loved, and is pretty honest about a lot of things, including his complicated relationship with Diana Ross, which I grew up thinking was a juicy secret.
We got to see that these larger-than-life artists are/were all just humans, too, with an equal number of problems to us regular folk, something that perhaps those of us who grew up with this famous music didn’t realize at the time we all living it. As a suddenly-famous friend once said to me, the problems stay the same, just the names change. Seeing this musical made me believe it.
Outside of Berry Gordy, the key characters in the narrative were the incredible Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross. But the show also included all the big acts on the label, such as The Temptations, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Jackson Five, (of course,) and even more recent Motown-ers like Rick James and Teena Marie. I think they got it all in.
Photo by Joan Marcus.
Allison Semmes, who played Diana, and Marvin Gaye portrayer, Jarran Muse, were especially sensational. Julius Thomas III, as Berry Gordy, was excellent, especially because he was on stage for ninety percent of the time! I don’t know how he kept that up! He didn’t miss a beat.
The whole show is very well done. It’s pure happiness. There are literally no boring moments. It moves quickly from scene to scene, song to song. You know I love when shows go in chronological order, which this one does, outside of the very beginning. But I also appreciated that it begins with a tease of the now-classic Motown 25th Anniversary Show, to give us that “pow” opening. The opening night audience was into it from the very first note.
There are so many clever touches in Motown, The Musical, but I don’t want to spoil any surprises for you. You’ll just have to experience them for yourself.
Berry Gordy dancing at the curtain call! Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images.
Because it was opening night, there was a super-special curtain call. A couple of the producers and choreographers came out, and so did—Berry Gordy himself! He told the assemblage that people had said that he couldn’t “Broadway-ize” Motown, so he brought Motown to Broadway. And that he did. But I’m here to tell him that he really did the former, as well. Big kudos to everyone involved!
And then, the most fun thing of all happened—the giant cast parted in the middle, and Berry danced!!! He came down the open space in a Soul Train line! Proving that he always lands on his feet, in all senses.
Part of the fun for me was meeting the young teen-age guy I was seated next to. Since the body of the opening night audience was people who were around when Motown was in it’s prime, I was surprised to see one so young there. I asked him if he even knew any of the music. He very matter-of-factly, with no hubris whatsoever, told me that he had played Michael Jackson in this show on Broadway! OMG! His name is Raymond Luke, and he could not have been more darling, down-to-earth, and polite. He even laughed at everything I said! This is a good kid, and he promised to remember me when he gets big, (my words, not his.) He was so far from a show biz brat. What a pleasure. He’s even cheering on his tour counterpart! I’m really rooting for more of his success.
My glory days. See who the “Special Guest” on the marquee is? Photo by Mr. X.
Raymond is my latest connection to Motown, but, as promised, here’s a taste of some of the others: When I first started doing my TV show, Karen’s Restaurant Revue, back in the day, the booker of a big music theatre in Beverly Hills called me, and asked me to open for Aretha Franklin! Open?! I didn’t even do stand-up! But, the guy said my show is the same thing, (which is how everyone described it,) and he wanted to hire me. Thinking it was a joke, I casually asked, “Do you have the Temptations coming in?” And, to my shock, he answered, “Yes! Along with The Four Tops. Would you like to open for them, too?!” OMG! When I realized he was serious, I immediately chose the Temps and Tops; I knew I didn’t really want to do stand-up, but I wanted to get to see these guys work up-close and personal, and, of course, I wanted all my friends to get to see this fabulous show. So I told him I didn’t need to open for anybody else but those nine guys.
Smokey Robinson and Karen Salkin at his Foundation dinner a few years ago.
So, I opened four shows for them. Even though it was not really the correct gig for me, (since the guy from the theater had told me not to prepare anything, and just talk off the top of my head like I did on my show,) it was a wonderful few nights. The Motown dudes could not have been nicer to Mr. X and me, my ex-boyfriend (who had a beautiful deep voice) got to be my announcer, my friends all had a great time (especially seeing my pain up there on the stage,) and the best part was—I got to know The Temptations and Four Tops for many years afterwards! I even got to go to several of the Temptations recording sessions! What an amazing experience for a little girl from Brooklyn who used to dance to these strangers’ music!
And Karen Salkin and Smokey Robinson last week at the Pantages! He just keeps getting more gorgeous! But whose eyes are bluer? Photo by Alice Farinas.
As my career went on, I got to spend a bit of time with some of the other Motown legends, including Rick James, Teena Marie, and my favorite of all time—the amazing former Temptation, Ollie Ali Woodson. I have so many more stories to tell, but these will suffice for now. I have to go listen to some Motown, and do as Berry Gordy did on the stage of the beautiful Pantages Theater last week–bust-out some dance moves, and have myself a blast.
Motown, The Musical running through June 7, 2015
Pantages Theatre 6233 Hollywood Blvd. 800-982-2727 www.BroadwayLA.org
