"Berry Gordy's Motown" to open on Broadway March 11th 2013.

[bradsupremes]

Although I'm excited that a musical featuring the Motown catalog will finally make it to the Broadway stage, I am disappointed in the general plot of the show. I know it's Berry's story and he has every right to tell it the way he should, but I'm afraid lots of die-hard Motown fans like us are going to be disappointed when important people who have played a role in Motown's success will be portrayed as "extras." The characters of Berry and Diana singing Marvin and Tammi duets to each other just don't gel with me. It just doesn't seem work in my mind. It takes away from Marvin and Tammi's success being told. Now, I'll admit I haven't seen the show or any preview so I can't judge ahead of time, but I feel a musical with Motown songs would work better with a plot that's completely unrelated to the Motown story [[ex. "Mamma Mia" using ABBA songs.) A plot with fictional characters and a unique, different love story with Motown songs woven in would have worked better, in my honest opinion. I still wish the musical all success and hope it becomes a Broadway smash!

[jobeterob]

Will Berry & Diana's character sing Marvin & Tammi's songs? Is that in the plans?

This is going to be a tough one for hardcore Motown fans because they'll have to cut out many characters so they can have a coherent story with developed characters.

I think they have to stick with the basic Motown/Berry/Diana/Michael/Smokey story or there won't be any coherent story threading it together.

[midnightman]

Will Berry & Diana's character sing Marvin & Tammi's songs? Is that in the plans?

This is going to be a tough one for hardcore Motown fans because they'll have to cut out many characters so they can have a coherent story with developed characters.

I think they have to stick with the basic Motown/Berry/Diana/Michael/Smokey story or there won't be any coherent story threading it together.

Yeah or else the play will be moot.

[skooldem1]

Here is a new clip of the "Berry and Diana" leads, singing "You're all I need".

[jobeterob]

As truth in history, this show won't do it........and it'll piss off the fans of the lesser Motown stars............but it will be a heck of a show that will bring Motown back in a big way.

[skooldem1]

MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL - "HERE IT COMES" COMMERCIAL

[theboyfromxtown]

As truth in history, this show won't do it........and it'll piss off the fans of the lesser Motown stars............but it will be a heck of a show that will bring Motown back in a big way.

Have to say that they are not ALL totally p***ed off. I'm pleased to learn that some of them are getting an invite to a Motown Alumni night in April........

[jobeterob]

Have to say that they are not ALL totally p***ed off. I'm pleased to learn that some of them are getting an invite to a Motown Alumni night in April........

A lot of people care; a lot of Motown Alumni care; but Berry Gordy cant possibly support all of the requests for assistance that he gets.

And the artists still love Berry and constantly sing his praises.

And now Brad has shown us there will be "Supremes" in the musical.

What we will need to accept is the musical will centre on Berry and Diana, with portions on Smokey, Marvin, Michael and Stevie ~ but there won't be major sections on Mary Wells, Junior Walker, Funks, other Supremes, Vandellas etc.

The pictures Brad sent indicate it will be awesome.

[skooldem1]

This musical will be about Motown, not Diana Ross. Yes she is a featured player, but why would anyone think that the characters of Mary, Florence, and Cindy wouldn't be portrayed?

[marv2]

A lot of people care; a lot of Motown Alumni care; but Berry Gordy cant possibly support all of the requests for assistance that he gets.

And the artists still love Berry and constantly sing his praises.

And now Brad has shown us there will be "Supremes" in the musical.

What we will need to accept is the musical will centre on Berry and Diana, with portions on Smokey, Marvin, Michael and Stevie ~ but there won't be major sections on Mary Wells, Junior Walker, Funks, other Supremes, Vandellas etc.

The pictures Brad sent indicate it will be awesome.

You keep talking about
Berry Gordy's request for assistance. You mention it here and in other threads over the last several weeks. Who exactly is asking Mr. Gordy for assistance? I take it you are referring to financial assistance.

[marv2]

This musical will be about Motown, not Diana Ross. Yes she is a featured player, but why would anyone think that the characters of Mary, Florence, and Cindy wouldn't be portrayed?

The only person that continually states that Mary, Flo etc will not have specific roles in this production is Jobeterob. I believe it is his way of once again putting these women, these legends down in a weak effort to elevate the importance of Diana Ross in his view point.

[jillfoster]

This musical will be about Motown, not Diana Ross. Yes she is a featured player, but why would anyone think that the characters of Mary, Florence, and Cindy wouldn't be portrayed?

Nobody does, except him.

[marv2]

Here is a new clip of the "Berry and Diana" leads, singing "You're all I need".

....and you like this? I should re-phrase, do you like this?

[drlorne]

I have my tickets for early May. I hope Forever Dusty will still be on, but tickets only available to March. The co- star is Christina Sajous who played Shirley Owens [[Allston-Reeves) in Baby It's You in 2011.
Lorne

[smark21]

The singing on this fine, but the dialogue before they start singing is corny. I hope this gets a re-write before the show officially opens.

[marv2]

The singing on this fine, but the dialogue before they start singing is corny. I hope this gets a re-write before the show officially opens.

It is excessively corny in an effort to appeal to the lowest common denominator........the NYC Tourist! LOL!!!!

[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]

....and you like this? I should re-phrase, do you like this?

I can see it coming... and since Berry is behind this, most likely he'll come off as the master Svengali that made Diana Ross everything she is, which of course, is insulting to her... but nobody ever said Gordy wasn't a chauvinist.

[jillfoster]

Well.. I guess we can see who's playing Martha and the Vandellas at 1:50



I think the girl they got to play Martha looks like she'd been better cast as Cindy

[theboyfromxtown]

I'm always interested to see how the choreographers of today attempt to re-create new dance routines representing the 60's. I'm not impressed so far. I've seen routines where the groups have their backs to the audience which was a no-no back then. The masters of the dance routines-the Temps singing here on Ball of Confusion looked a mess...arms, legs all over the place. Stop the video at 1:42 for example. Those original routines were subtle but had a certain flair which I believe is missing from what I've so far seen.

Check this video out at 36:07. The Elgins had grace, poise and class. Those qualities seem lacking to me in "Motown The Musical" and I'm a little disappointed.

[jobeterob]

Kind of agree with you John. I guess they are bowing toward the more current way of doing things to appeal to the kids.



.Motown: The Musical Ready to Make Broadway Debut in MarchBroadway
NEW YORK HAPPENINGS — 29 January 2013 The new Broadway musical Motown promises to tell the true story behind the sound that made history by shattering racial barriers in popular music in the late-‘50s. After all, Motown: The Musical was written by the very man who brought the genre of music to life in Detroit in 1959: music mogul Berry Gordy!

Tickets are now on sale for Motown: The Musical, which begins previews March 11 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The official opening night of Motown: The Musical is scheduled for April 14, and the run is open-ended — which means producers are expecting this world premiere production to be a huge hit with music fans!

Motown: The Musical follows Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who’s best known for launching the careers of Motown legends like Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Marvin Gaye, among many, many others. So, of course, audience members can expect to hear many of their favorite R&B, soul and pop hits from the early ‘60s sung by some of the most talented performers on Broadway.

Motown: The Musical stars Brandon Victor Dixon [[The Colour Purple) as Gordy, Valisia Lekae [[The Book of Mormon) as Diana Ross, and Charl Brown [[Jersey Boys, Sister Act) as crooner Smokey Robinson. The book was written by Gordy, while Charles Randolph-Wright [[Sophisticated Ladies) directs. Choreographer Patricia Wilcox has a long list of film and TV credits to her name, as well as the notable distinction of having created numbers for numerous gold medal-winning ice-skaters. [[We just can’t wait to see what the dance numbers have in store!).

Though much of this production is still veiled in secrecy, we know it will be just the ticket for theater-goers who want to see something that leaves them dying to dance in the aisles.

So what’s your favorite Motown song? [[Whatever it is, there’s a good chance in it’s this show!)

[nomis]

It will be like his autobiography - a polite overview with little depth or resonance..sure great songs but this man dosent deal with reality and that his actions directly or indirectly caused misery to the very people who brought fortune to his door..it would take years of pyschological counselling for him to see that yes he and Diana lived the fairy tale..but what about everyone else..ok Gayes drug use and Ballards drinking where their own choices..but they were by part a result of the way he operated his buisness..and why put Mary through all of that shit in the 70s and 80s ?..penniless Funk Brothers not invited to Motown 25..Martha ending up in a mental hospital..Marvin living in a van in Hawaii..Gordy was the father figure who dealt with wayward "children" with by making them sign contracts for a pitiful lump sum that denied them any future royalties..more money for him and if you crossed him you ended up in a legal jostle that lasted decades..ask HDH or Mary..I seriously doubt the play will deal with any of this - it will be " I conquered Hollywood with Lady" routine..this man shut himself off from the real world along time ago

[theboyfromxtown]

Am I right in noticing that the non-Jobete song "River Deep Mountain High" might be included. That would be a strange choice given all those Jobete titles.

[jillfoster]

Am I right in noticing that the non-Jobete song "River Deep Mountain High" might be included. That would be a strange choice given all those Jobete titles.

I seriously doubt that this play will cast someone as Jean Terrell, Gordy doesn't want anyone to be reminded that a group witihout his chosen "star" had seven top 40 hits without her.

[marv2]

I seriously doubt that this play will cast someone as Jean Terrell, Gordy doesn't want anyone to be reminded that a group witihout his chosen "star" had seven top 40 hits without her.

Now I think you may have something there.......

[jobeterob]

Now I think you may have something there.......

And yes we have exactly that if John is right..............a Supremes without Diana song. That Berry, he can be so devious.

[marv2]

It will be like his autobiography - a polite overview with little depth or resonance..sure great songs but this man dosent deal with reality and that his actions directly or indirectly caused misery to the very people who brought fortune to his door..it would take years of pyschological counselling for him to see that yes he and Diana lived the fairy tale..but what about everyone else..ok Gayes drug use and Ballards drinking where their own choices..but they were by part a result of the way he operated his buisness..and why put Mary through all of that shit in the 70s and 80s ?..penniless Funk Brothers not invited to Motown 25..Martha ending up in a mental hospital..Marvin living in a van in Hawaii..Gordy was the father figure who dealt with wayward "children" with by making them sign contracts for a pitiful lump sum that denied them any future royalties..more money for him and if you crossed him you ended up in a legal jostle that lasted decades..ask HDH or Mary..I seriously doubt the play will deal with any of this - it will be " I conquered Hollywood with Lady" routine..this man shut himself off from the real world along time ago

Good and thought provoking post Nomis. thank you

[nomis]

thanx Marv

[milven]

I have my tickets for early May. I hope Forever Dusty will still be on, but tickets only available to March. The co- star is Christina Sajous who played Shirley Owens [[Allston-Reeves) in Baby It's You in 2011.
Lorne

Forever Dusty was just extended through April and may even become an open run. I saw it today and the house was full. As good as Christina Sajous was in Baby It’s You, she was even better as Dusty’s lover in Forever Dusty.

As truth in history, this show won't do it........and it'll piss off the fans of the lesser Motown stars............but it will be a heck of a show that will bring Motown back in a big way.

Jobeterob, you are right when you say that as truth in history, Motown The Musical won’t do it. Those who expect the exact history of Motown from this should stay away and wait for PBS to do a documentary about it.

I just saw a musical about Dusty Springfield. It is only ninety minutes long and had to tell about her forty year career between all the songs. They did it, but was it her life story? I have a vague knowledge of Dusty and the play that I saw was true, but in a fictional form. The author admits to using poetic license. Most of the events in the show really happened but some of the characters in the play have been composited from multiple people in Dusty’s life – or completely invented by the author. He also took liberties with the time sequence of some events. But it was kept as truthful as possible in bringing the audience the soul and spirit of Dusty. The audience was completely satisfied with the result.

I think the same can be said of Motown The Musical. Most of us on this board are experts on Motown and will be able to pick out a lot of stuff that may seem to be lies and exaggerations.

I am also going to see it in previews. I will not be disappointed. I expect to see a musical with music that I love and about entertainers that I like. I’m going to be entertained. It’s a musical, not a documentary. And while Broadway may cater to the tourist a little too much - as has been pointed out on these boards - most of the audience in a Broadway theatre is still comprised of New Yorkers.

[R. Mark Desjardins]

A pal who started up The Supremes Fan Club in Montreal in 1966 sent me this pix of his ticket to Motown The Musical. We saw The Supremes together at Expo '67 and got to see Diana Ross together in Toronto in 2011. Wish it was me getting to see the musical, but I will in time. Not too many recording artists have captured the love of music fans over such at time spread as the Tamla/Motown family of stars!

Amazon has announced that the soundtrack to the musical will be released on Universal label in March.

[SupremeBoy]

Very nice indeed smark. I wonder why Martha Reeves wasn't at this event? Anyone know who is portraying Martha Reeves the First Lady of Motown Records in the musical?

Thank you again.

Roberta

With all due respect since when has Martha Reeves ever been referred to as "The First Lady of Motown Records"? Is this a joke?

[ralpht]

I can't say for sure, Supremeboy, but Martha did pre-date Diana by a good few years.

[milven]

I think we already discussed this . Mary Wells was the third woman signed to Motown, but it was she who was referred to as The First Lady of Motown by just about everyone - including dee-jays when they introduced her songs on the radio.

I've never heard of Martha referenced as the First Lady of Motown by anyone , except Roberta. And I'm cool with that. Roberta is a fan of Martha and it is a nice tribute that she gives to Martha.

Some have called Diana Ross the First Lady of Motown. I'm a Diana fan, but to me Mary Wells will always be the First Lady of Motown, just as Helen Hayes will always be the First Lady of Theatre, Bette Davis , the First Lady of Cinema and Ella Fitzgerald , the First Lady of Music. To each his own.

[ralpht]

Thank you, Milven. Makes a lot of sense. More of a sense of perspective relative to one's age I would think.

[bradsupremes]

I've heard Claudette Robinson refer to herself as the First Lady of Motown. In fact, didn't Berry Gordy give her the title in his autobiography as the Miracles were the first group signed to the new label thus making her the first lady signed with the company.

I think the title First Lady of Motown belongs to Claudette.

[jobeterob]

For us Motown Fans, I think Mary Wells is probably the most appropriate First Lady of Motown. But it's just a name. It's all cool unless somebody forgets to call Aretha Franklin the Queen of Soul. Then there is trouble. Big trouble. She would surely issue a statement!

Wow, a soundtrack is coming too; excellent; although it might not be the real deal for the fans.

This will put Motown in the spotlight again.

Ralph, have you ever considered driving or taking the train across the country for an early spring holiday to attend this and hang out with some of the guys again?

[skooldem1]

I often feel that because Diana Ross is the undisputed Queen of Motown that fans of other artist run around trying to stake their claim on some title for their favorite singer. I think titles are silly for anyone. Queen of this, King of that...its so silly.

[ralpht]

Rob,
I'll think about it. I would love to get together. Got a lot on my plate right now. We shall see.

[jobeterob]

You would be so lucky to be able to do that. I would love it but of course, I don't know any of those people. A drive across the country would be great for me as well; just not Canada in the winter ~ that won't fly.

I will wish it can happen for you.

Perhaps it is true; maybe Claudette should be the First Lady and not Mary Wells. And perhaps the titles are nonsense.

[smark21]

Irene Ryan was the first lady of Motown she puts all the other heifers to shame.

[milven]

Irene Ryan was the first lady of Motown she puts all the other heifers to shame.

In this video you can see the promotional ad run by Motown Records. It says "Meet Motown's Newest Teen Sensation" with a picture of Irene Ryan as Granny. Granny The First Lady of Motown Well this was originally a number performed by Irene Ryan in the Motown Produced Broadway Show, PIPPIN, which is soon being revived on Broadway

[Roberta75]

No disrespect to any of the other ladies you mention above but IMO The First lady of Motown Records is Dr Martha Reeves. Martha Reeves is a real ambassador for Motown records and Martha Reeves is the only star of the label that stop by the Motown Museum in Detroit and give personal tours of the museum to the public. I never hear of Diane Ross or Claudette Robinson giving tours plus Miss martha Reeves is in great demand today and works more than any of the other former ladies of Motown yes Dr Martha Reeves is the undisputed First lady of Motown Records IMO and may God continue to bless and protect Dr Martha Reeves.

Roberta

[SupremeBoy]

No disrespect to any of the other ladies you mention above but IMO The First lady of Motown Records is Dr Martha Reeves. Martha Reeves is a real ambassador for Motown records and Martha Reeves is the only star of the label that stop by the Motown Museum in Detroit and give personal tours of the museum to the public. I never hear of Diane Ross or Claudette Robinson giving tours plus Miss martha Reeves is in great demand today and works more than any of the other former ladies of Motown yes Dr Martha Reeves is the undisputed First lady of Motown Records IMO and may God continue to bless and protect Dr Martha Reeves.

Roberta

Self-proclaimed titles are silly, and you are correct Roberta it is just your opinion...and you're most certainly entitled to it.

[captainjames]

You are all right !!! depending on your definition of "First Lady !!!!!!"
1. The First Lady signed with Motown
2. The First Lady with the first hit
or
2. The first Lady with the Most hits

I am going to put my vote in for Esther Gordy Edwards although I still think Claudette, Ray, Martha, Diana, and Mary Wells hold some sort of torch.

As far as Motown on Broadway I am going to give it a shot - I think Berry has a sure fire hit directed at a difference type of audience now. I'll be there !!!

[milven]

Getting back on topic, The Daily News has a pull out section for Black Music Month which contains an article about the show and also a full page ad for the show. And in the NY POST, there is an article by critic Michael Riedel [[if you watched SMASH last night he was in it). Michael's article is already critical about the book and Berry's involvement..
Ain’t no mountain high enough
But script woes might trip up ‘Motown: The Musical’
By MICHAEL RIEDEL
February 6, 2013
By Michael Riedel
BROADWAY MATINEE
‘Motown: The Musical” was loading into the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre yesterday, but there was one thing I couldn’t find amid the trucks, trolleys and crates: a script.

The $12 million musical has been in rehearsal for weeks — the first preview is March 11 — but a workable plot has yet to emerge.

How do I know this?I heard it through the grapevine!

The problem, sources say, is that Berry Gordy Jr. initially insisted on writing the script himself, with a bit of help from screenwriter David Goldsmith.

But because they had so much material to cover — Gordy’s life, the creation of Motown, its place in American popular culture — they quickly found themselves tangled up in that grapevine.


Gilles Petard / RedfernsMotown music mogul Berry Gordy Jr. is grooving in the studio with Mary Wilson [[from left), Florence Ballard and Diana Ross — the Supremes — in January 1965.And so a few months ago, Dick Scanlan, who wrote the book to “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” joined the show as a “script consultant.”

There were rumblings this week that the producers were looking to bring in yet another writer to help sort out the material.

But lead producer Kevin McCollum told me that wasn’t the case.

“David and Dick will be billed as ‘script consultants,’ ” he said, “but they are the only two writers working with Berry. This is Berry’s story, and from the beginning, he recognized it needed to be seen through someone else’s prism.”

McCollum acknowledged the script was “still in flux,” adding that Scanlan’s job is to whack away at the mountains of material.

“And because we have no flying, we will hit our first preview date,” he added with a laugh.

It’s no secret that Gordy’s a control freak. You don’t build up an empire like Motown by being Mr. Laissez-Faire. But creating a musical requires collaboration, which is why a number of people Gordy initially approached to work on the show passed.

“They were afraid that Berry Gordy wouldn’t give them creative control, and that he wouldn’t tell the real behind-the-scenes stuff,” a source says.

Another source, a bitchy one, says: “Look at who they got to direct it — Charles Randolph-Wright. They went through the Rolodex and couldn’t find anyone until they got to W! Or R, if you want to be charitable.”

[[Randolph-Wright, it must be said, isn’t exactly Mike Nichols. His major directing credit is “Bea Arthur on Broadway.”)

But McCollum says “Motown” doesn’t ignore the music label’s dramas.

“Motown was a family, and like all families there were conflicts,” he says. “Berry addresses many of those conflicts.”

OK, but let’s be practical. Nobody’s going to “Motown: The Musical” for the plot. What they want is the Motown catalog, perhaps the greatest catalog in the history of pop music.

Says McCollum: “Oh, we’ve got the songs. That’s one thing I can assure you of. We’ve got the songs.”

Director Stephen Daldry has assembled a first-rate cast for “The Audience,” a new play by Peter Morgan about Queen Elizabeth and her prime ministers.

Joining Helen Mirren [[who plays the queen, naturally) are Haydn Gwynne [[Margaret Thatcher), Rufus Wright [[David Cameron), Michael Elwyn [[Sir Anthony Eden) and Nathaniel Parker [[Gordon Brown).

Best of all, though, is the great Robert Hardy as Winston Churchill, a role he played more than 30 years ago in the TV miniseries “Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years,” for which he won a BAFTA award.

As PBS viewers of a certain age will recall, Hardy was the veterinarian in “All Creatures Great and Small” in the 1970s.

Now 87, he’s one of England’s finest actors but rarely appears onstage anymore, so this should be a treat.

“The Audience” begins performances in the West End next week. Plans are already in the works for a Broadway production next season.

[jobeterob]

They need to choose 2 plot lines and highlight them.

Suggestions: Berry & Diana and the fight for racial equality, where you can draw in other performers.

[jobeterob]

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 NYDailyNews.com / Music & Arts



Sanding off Motown's rough edges: As Berry Gordy readies his Broadway musical, critic wonders how much of the real story will be told

Back in the day, the Temptations sang “Get Ready,” and that title is doubly appropriate as previews of “Motown: The Musical” are slated to start March 11 on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Most music lovers know a bit about the history of Detroit’s legendary Motown record company and its founder, Berry Gordy, but this production promises to deliver the real lowdown — the behind-the-scenes account of Gordy’s rise to fame and fortune and his personal ties to legends such as Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross.

It’s going to be really difficult to keep the audience from singing along with this musical, which will be studded with tunes made famous by Robinson, Ross, the Supremes, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.

Equally compelling will be the drama behind Motown, the creative process that was often as competitive as it was ultimately productive.

And at the center of it all was the indomitable Gordy, his genius shaping the music as the company developed a coterie of magnificent performers.

Brandon Victor Dixon, a Tony Award nominee for his work in “The Color Purple” and “The Scottsboro Boys,” will portray Gordy, and Valisia Lekae of “Ragtime” and “The Book of Mormon” will star as Ross. Charl Brown will play Smokey Robinson.

Dixon, in an interview with Erin Strecker of Popwatch.com said, “The biggest thing Motown did was change our social fabric; the way we interacted with each other as human beings.

“There is a lot of tension in the world, a lot of strife. A lot of what goes on in the world has people thinking about what makes us different. I hope that our show is able to remind people of what makes us the same.”

In a later interview with the Daily News, he said, “We’re two weeks in and this has been one of the most fulfilling collaborative experiences of my life.

“We work like a family in the way that Motown truly did as it was coming into being, which has been wonderful for the development of our show.”

Charles Randolph-Wright will direct the musical, which was written by Gordy.

In a recent conversation, the director said his energy and passion for the musical are palpable.

“Working with Berry is the joy of my life,” he said.

“We’re literally like comrades, and it is thrilling to collaborate with a man who I’ve idolized. As he has done for so many others, he’s given me permission to dream.”

The show will be produced by Tony winner Kevin McCollum of “Rent” and “In the Heights” fame and Doug Morris, CEO of Sony Music.

The production team will include Joseph *Joubert as musical director and Ethan Popp supervising an 18-piece orchestra.

“Motown: The Musical” is scheduled to officially open April 14.

Post a Comment »


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...#ixzz2K9ATSJkB

[smark21]

Well glad this thread is back on topic. I’m not shocked to read that Motown the Musical is having script problems. If you go up the page and view the youtube clip of “Berry” and “Diana” performing “You’re All I Need to Get By”, the dialogue they exchange before they sing is awful, simply awful. I hope they are calling in a script doctor because if all the dialogue is on this level, then the show could be a critical disaster.

I went to the message board at broadwayworld.com where theater fans love to chat. The Reidel article has provoked a good sized discussion about Motown the Musical. Here’s the link to the discussion:

http://broadwayworld.com/board/readm...=1056247&dt=27

[jillfoster]

Well glad this thread is back on topic. I’m not shocked to read that Motown the Musical is having script problems. If you go up the page and view the youtube clip of “Berry” and “Diana” performing “You’re All I Need to Get By”, the dialogue they exchange before they sing is awful, simply awful. I hope they are calling in a script doctor because if all the dialogue is on this level, then the show could be a critical disaster.


I went to the message board at broadwayworld.com where theater fans love to chat. The Reidel article has provoked a good sized discussion about Motown the Musical. Here’s the link to the discussion:

http://broadwayworld.com/board/readm...=1056247&dt=27

I'll totally agree with you on this one. The thing that always bothers me about broadway treatment of pop and soul music is that it takes iconic records and makes them sound like they are being sung on an episode of GLEE. It's not so bad, when song are written specifically for the Broadway stage, then it can come off really good. But trying to transition pop and soul to Broadway many times yields ca-ca. It seems that Reidel is concerned as I mentioned last week, that this will be a puff piece, which doesn't make for good theater.

[marv2]

I'll totally agree with you on this one. The thing that always bothers me about broadway treatment of pop and soul music is that it takes iconic records and makes them sound like they are being sung on an episode of GLEE. It's not so bad, when song are written specifically for the Broadway stage, then it can come off really good. But trying to transition pop and soul to Broadway many times yields ca-ca. It seems that Reidel is concerned as I mentioned last week, that this will be a puff piece, which doesn't make for good theater.

They should just use Richard Pryor's monologue from "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever" and call it a day. That is what this show is going to end up like anyway..........hehehehehehehe