Motown the Musical: "Berry" and "Diana" in costume

[smark21]

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/166679/motown-exclusive-see-brandon-victor-dixon-and-valisia-lekae-in-costume-as-berry-gordy-and-diana-ross/

[SupremeBoy]

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direct post to the board

[SupremeBoy]

Wow Berry is so much taller and thinner than he is in real life. :rolleyes:

[jobeterob]

Wow Berry is so much taller and thinner than he is in real life. :rolleyes:

That's "the look" to sell the show!

[REDHOT]

i'm going to New York to see this play,i can't wait lol
Please stay positive

[revvy]

I'm seeing the show 3rd night of previews, so I'll be sure to report back to y'all. I know it's gonna be GREAT!

[Jimi LaLumia]

well, I did predict here, months ago, that this would be the Diana Ross show..
this will be for Ross what "Jersey Boys' Is for Frankie Valli..
it's Berry's party, and you'll cry if you want to...

[jobeterob]

That may be true.........but as long as it is a success and puts Motown back in the spotlight..........GREAT.

It looks like there will be some light shone on Smokey and Stevie and Marvin and Michael too.

And the songs will be great!

[Jimi LaLumia]

absolutely.....
and who knows what signs, Miracles and Wonders may emerge from this?
who knows what healing waters may flow as a result of this show?..let us pray...
I'm very much over 'let us prey'... bring everyone together..

[skooldem1]

They have also cast Teena Marie.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EughKKGXoFw#!

[theboyfromxtown]

Have they cast anyone for roles as the Velvelettes? Or have they been totally ignored?

[westgrandboulevard]

Just tell them to pick their moment, get out their best drop-dead outfits, and GET there LOL

Authentic is authentic, good is always good!

Ain't nothing like the real thing!:cool:

[luke]

I hear they may be a big scene when the Velvelettes beat the Supremes in that competition and a big throwdown between Miss Mildred and MIss Flo!!

[stephanie]

I hope this helps to move the Motown catalog so we can get more releases in the long run of forgotten songs.

[jobeterob]

I can't see how this can miss with that music.

The only objection will be from some hardcore fans that know the history and will see some less successful artists overlooked and we will see the history generalized for the sake of time.

But it should lead to a Motown Revival.

[Jimi LaLumia]

the average theatre goer will go to hear these songs 'live' with a full orchestra and an audience full of people singing and clapping along and trying to dance in the aisles..they don't care about the 'history'.. the purists/posters will issue nasty missives and no one will care..the show will be a massive worldwide hit and MOTOWN [[and Miss Ross) will rise again..

[jobeterob]

the average theatre goer will go to hear these songs 'live' with a full orchestra and an audience full of people singing and clapping along and trying to dance in the aisles..they don't care about the 'history'.. the purists/posters will issue nasty missives and no one will care..the show will be a massive worldwide hit and MOTOWN [[and Miss Ross) will rise again..

I think you are right.

There was once a full page ad in Billboard taken out by a concert promoter when Diana sold out a lot of concerts in NYC saying:

"NEW YORK LOVES DIANA".

[jobeterob]

Tickets are now on sale for 'Motown.' Get ready to go dancin’ in the street! Tickets are now on sale for the bio tuner Motown: The Musical, a new Broadway show about the life of iconic Motown founder Berry Gordy. Featuring the classic songs of Motor City and a book by Gordy himself, the show begins previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on March 11, with opening night set for April 14.

Motown stars Brandon Victor Dixon as Gordy, Valisia LeKae as Diana Ross, Charl Brown as Smokey Robinson and an ensemble including Timothy J. Alex, Nicholas Christopher, Bryan Terrell Clark, Rebecca E. Covington, Ariana Debose, Andrea Dora, Preston W. Dugger III, Wilkie Ferguson, Dionne Figgins, Marva Hicks, Sasha Hutchings, Lauren Lim Jackson, Morgan James, John Jellison, Crystal Joy, Grasan Kingsberry, Marielys Molina, Sydney Morton, Jarran Muse, Jesse Nager, Milton Craig Nealy, N’Kenge, Dominic Nolfi, Saycon Sengbloh, Ryan Shaw, Jamal Story, Eric LaJuan Summers, Ephraim Sykes, Julius Thomas III, Daniel J. Watts and Donald Webber, Jr..

Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, Motown: The Musical recounts Motown founder Berry Gordy's meteoric rise to becoming the music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and more. The show’s score is pulled directly from the Motown songbook and will feature songs recognizable to fans of the record label's sound.

The production includes choreography by Patricia Wilcox and Warren Adams, scenic design by David Korins, costumes by ESosa, lighting by Natasha Katz, sound by Peter Hylenski, projections by Daniel Brodie, arrangements/orchestrations by Ethan Popp, co-orchestrations by Bryan Crook, dance arrangements by Zane Mark and music direction by Joseph Joubert.

[REDHOT]

Who's playing Mary Wilson,Florence Ballard or Cindy Birdsong?lol
Please stay positive

[jobeterob]

Who's playing Mary Wilson,Florence Ballard or Cindy Birdsong?lol
Please stay positive

Probably some of the ensemble actors. They will likely be there but they may not be called by name and they wont be featured. But of course, all of us fans will know who they are as well as the Vandellas, Temptations, Contours, Pips, Tops, Miracles etc.

[bradsupremes]

Probably some of the ensemble actors. They will likely be there but they may not be called by name and they wont be featured. But of course, all of us fans will know who they are as well as the Vandellas, Temptations, Contours, Pips, Tops, Miracles etc.

I don't know, Jobeterob. I follow Motown the Musical on Twitter and a cast member named Ariana DeBose has this posted on her profile:

"Mary Wilson of the SUPREMES in Motown the Musical coming to Broadway March 2013!*"

She appears to be excited about the part. She posted a clip from "TCB" and quoted Mary's "Honey, we is terrific!" She even posted a picture of Mary's Supremes magazine as well as a portion of the cast list. It appears the Supremes will be more than just nameless characters, but rather the roles of Mary, Florence, and I assume Cindy will be referred to by name and have some presence in the story than just being a nameless group member.

I must say Ariana is perfect for playing Mary too. Both are strikingly beautiful ladies.

[jobeterob]

Brad, I think you have information I did not know about.

Good work.

You always do good research.

The more people that show up in the show.......all the better!

[bradsupremes]

For those you wondering who is playing Mary & Flo? Here they are:

Ariana DeBose [[Mary) on the left and Sindey Morton [[Flo) on the right.
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Here are all three ladies with Berry Gordy watching...
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[Roberta75]

For those you wondering who is playing Mary & Flo? Here they are:

Ariana DeBose [[Mary) on the left and Sindey Morton [[Flo) on the right.
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Here are all three ladies with Berry Gordy watching...
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Bradsupremes do you know who is playing the First lady of Motown records Dr Martha Reeves in this exciting new motown musical?

Thank you.

Yours, with every good wish.

Roberta

[jobeterob]

Bradsupremes do you know who is playing the First lady of Motown records Dr Martha Reeves in this exciting new motown musical?

Thank you.

Yours, with every good wish.

Roberta

There is a good resemblance. Looks very promising. Well done Brad. Excellent info.

[jillfoster]

VERY good choices from a physical standpoint! I'm dying to know who they got to play Martha, too. WAY WAY better choices than what Suzanne Deass chose for the Temptations movie... that girl that played Mary had a set of tits that would give Dolly Parton a run for her money!

[jobeterob]

VERY good choices from a physical standpoint! I'm dying to know who they got to play Martha, too. WAY WAY better choices than what Suzanne Deass chose for the Temptations movie... that girl that played Mary had a set of tits that would give Dolly Parton a run for her money!

Well, Mary liked her boobs and maybe they were trying to do a poetic justice thing!

[REDHOT]

Thanks Brad,good info

[jillfoster]

Well, Mary liked her boobs and maybe they were trying to do a poetic justice thing!

I know... but damn, that chick in the movie could smuggle mexicans across the border under those puppies!

[marv2]

VERY good choices from a physical standpoint! I'm dying to know who they got to play Martha, too. WAY WAY better choices than what Suzanne Deass chose for the Temptations movie... that girl that played Mary had a set of tits that would give Dolly Parton a run for her money!


She was also way too chunky to play a 16 year old Mary Wilson. Now these girls here........from a distance they very much remind me of Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson from their first Ed Sullivan Show appearance in 1964. Both are pretty.

[smark21]

For what it’s worth, I went to Broadway.com message boards which is a very active site for fans of Broadway to see if there are any threads on Motown the Musical. I had to click Next 50 about 5 times before I found a thread devoted to the banner on the theater. Otherwise, no discussion at this point. But here’s the link.

http://broadwayworld.com/board/index.php?mobile=on

[jillfoster]

Well... knowing Gordy, this may be a glossy puff piece. And that's fine, except glossy puff pieces don't make good theater. And they haven't since the days of the Bob Hope/ Bing Crosby road show movies. Hell, even Beach Blanket Bingo had some conflict. But we'll see...

[bradsupremes]

Just posted on twitter! Meet the Supremes! What's interesting is how much these ladies do actually look like Diana, Mary and Florence. Even the girl playing Florence has Flo's lighter skin tone and their wigs are matched after each ladies' style. Bravo!

5909

[jobeterob]

Brad, you are a master at getting this material. You're going to have to end up doing some kind of Motown/music something for a living.

Impressive.

[bradsupremes]

Here's some more:

Ryan Shaw as Stevie Wonder
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Charl Brown as Smokey Robinson
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Brandon Victor Dixon as Berry Gordy Jr.
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Charl Brown as Smokey with the actress playing Claudette Robinson
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[marv2]

Here's some more:

Ryan Shaw as Stevie Wonder
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Charl Brown as Smokey Robinson
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Brandon Victor Dixon as Berry Gordy Jr.
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Charl Brown as Smokey with the actress playing Claudette Robinson
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That girl looks like Lynn Whitfield.