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BWW Flashback: MOTOWN THE MUSICAL Ends Broadway Run Today
By: BWW Special Coverage Jan. 18, 2015
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MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, the hit musical featuring the music of the legendary Motown catalogue and a book by Berry Gordy, ends its Broadway run today, January 18 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. MOTOWN is set to return to Broadway at a Nederlander theatre to be announced in July 2016. Last spring, the first National Tour of Motown the Musical opened to critical acclaim, grossing an impressive $20 Million dollars during a packed sixteen-week run, and is now heading to major markets across the US. MOTOWN will also head to London's West End this summer.
Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, Motown the Musical is the real story of the one-of-a-kind sound that hit the airwaves in 1959 and changed our culture forever. This exhilarating show charts Motown Founder Berry Gordy's incredible journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and many more.
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL's creative team features choreography by Patricia Wilcox (Blues in the Night) and Warren Adams (Toy Story), scenic design by David Korins (Bring It On: The Musical, Annie), costume design by Tony Award nominee ESosa (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, "Project Runway"), lighting design by Tony Award winner Natasha Katz (Once, Sister Act), sound design by Tony Award nominee Peter Hylenski (Rock of Ages, The Scottsboro Boys) and projection design by Daniel Brodie (Jekyll and Hyde).
Featuring all the classics you love, Motown the Musical tells the story behind the hits as Diana, Smokey, Berry and the whole Motown family fight against the odds to create the soundtrack of change in America. Motown shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat. You can experience the next electrifying chapter in the Motown story on Broadway through January 18 and across the country in a city near you.
In June 2012, it was announced that a new musical, based on the life of Berry Gordy, would open on Broadway in 2013 - shortly thereafter, it was confirmed that Brandon Victor Dixon and Valisia LeKae would lead the cast! In September 2012, Dixon, LeKae, Gordy, Aretha Franklin and more gathered to celebrate the launch of MOTOWN!
Photos by Walter McBride
With the full company of MOTOWN confirmed, the cast and creative team gathered in New York City to meet the press for the first time. Check out photos from the event below!
Photos by Walter McBride
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL began performances on March 11, 2013 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, ahead of an official opening night on April 14, 2013. Check out production photos and video highlights, featuring the original cast, below!
Photos by Joan Marcus
The stars turned out for MOTOWN's opening night on Broadway - check out glimpses at the red carpet arrivals, curtain call, and after party below!
Photos by Walter McBride
In December 2013, Tony nominee Valisia LeKae revealed she had been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer and withdrew from MOTOWN.
In a Facebook post, LeKae wrote "...2013 has been full of blessings, from being nominated for a prestigious Tony Award for my portrayal of "Diana Ross" in Motown The Musical as well as many other accolades. God has given me another role to play and like all my previous roles, I plan to go all in, only this time I plan to Win!"
In April 2014, the Broadway community was overjoyed to learn LeKae had received a clean bill of cancer, and was 'cancer free!'
That same month, MOTOWN launched its first national tour with a sit-down engagment in Chicago, with Allison Semmes and Clifton Oliver leading the cast.
See you in 2016, MOTOWN!
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