Allison Semmes (left) shines as the up-and-coming diva Diana Ross, with Trisha Jeffrey.
From the opening trumpet lines and performers in matching suits dancing and singing in close harmony (representing the Temptations and the Four Tops), Motown the Musical is a captivating history lesson about black music and a time when black lives began to matter in the entertainment business.
Founded in 1959 by a former autoworker and amateur boxer named Berry Gordy, the Detroit-based hit factory known as Motown Records launched the careers of Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and many more. Audiences will recognize many of the songs and artists in this dizzying parade of hits, interspersed with a narrative about black artists struggling to get a foothold in a racist industry.
Berry Gordy wrote the book around the songs, and his backstory is central to the narrative thread: He borrows $800 from the family’s grocery store business to start a record label. He was inspired by the time he spent working on an auto assembly line to create a place where a talented kid could walk in off the street and become a star. His formula worked over and over again. Gordy was also famous for controlling artists, including what they wore and what they sang; he doesn’t shy away from this paternalism in the script. But eventually Motown became so successful that bigger labels repeatedly poached its artists, making them offers they couldn’t refuse. Even Ross, with whom Gordy also had a longtime personal relationship, abandoned ship after coming up through the Motown ranks.
The musical moves quickly, and doesn’t delve deeply into too many backstories. But the audience sees the changing culture of the ’60s and ’70s reflected in Motown’s artists. Gordy was also a committed civil rights activist who, as a labor of love, released recordings of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches. At first opposed to Marvin Gaye’s politicized messages, he tells him he can’t release a song with the lyric “trigger-happy policing.” But Gaye perseveres, in a passionate plea to make music that matters. A particularly moving section is Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” posed as a reaction to the King assassination.
Many of the 40 hits in the show are indelibly marked in our collective consciousness, and thankfully, this Broadway treatment is faithful to Motown-era singing styles. David Korins’ stunning set includes a 3-D Detroit streetscape that appears to float above the action on the stage. The costuming is superb, including sequin- and crystal-encrusted gowns and men’s silk suits. The singing and dancing talent in the cast and pit orchestra is dizzying. Several standouts are Chester Gregory’s portrayal of Berry, and Allison Semmes, who captures the blossoming of the diva Diana Ross. Leon Outlaw Jr. is an outstanding Michael Jackson, perfectly re-creating the voice and dance moves of the child star.
Early on, when a radio DJ tells Gordy “We don’t play race music,” Gordy replies that this is everyone’s music. The ability of music to create change, to bring people together: That’s the beauty of Motown.
