Brandon Victor Dixon and Valisia LeKae to Lead MOTOWN; Opening Set for 4/14 at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy are proud to announce that MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL, based on the life of legendary Motown founder Berry Gordy, will open on Broadway at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46 Street) on April 14, 2013. Preview performances will begin March 11, 2013.

Tony Award® nominee Brandon Victor Dixon and Valisia LeKae have been cast in the leading roles of Berry Gordy and Diana Ross.

Additional casting will be announced shortly.

Tickets will go on sale exclusively to Citibank® cardholders on Sunday, September 23. Tickets will be available to the general public beginning Monday, October 1.

Brandon Victor Dixon received a Tony Award® nomination for his performance in The Color Purple on Broadway and received a Drama Desk Award nomination for The Scottsboro Boys Off-Broadway.

Valisia LeKae has appeared in the acclaimed Broadway musicals The Book of Mormon, Ragtime, 110 in the Shade and The Threepenny Opera.

Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL will feature a book by Berry Gordy and music and lyrics from the Motown legendary catalogue. MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL is the real story of the one-of-a-kind sound that hit the airwaves in 1959 and changed America 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 and The Supremes, Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Marvin Gaye and many more.

MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL tells the gripping story behind the hits as Smokey finds his unique voice, Diana skyrockets to stardom and Berry fights against the odds to turn his improbable dream into a triumphant reality. The music that shattered barriers and shaped our lives finally comes to the Broadway stage in the season's most highly anticipated world-premiere event.

Charles Randolph-Wright recently staged the Pulitzer Prize winning play Ruined and the record breaking musical Sophisticated Ladies at Arena Stage and the 75th anniversary international tour of Porgy and Bess. The acclaimed New York staging of his play Blue has been produced throughout the U.S.

MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL’s creative team will also feature scenic design by David Korins (Bring It On: The Musical, Annie), costume design by Tony Award® nominee ESosa (The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess, Topdog/Underdog), 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 choreography by Patricia Wilcox (Blues in the Night) and Warren Adams (Toy Story). The 18 piece orchestra will be supervised by Ethan Popp (Rock of Ages) who will reproduce the classic “Sound of Young America” for the Broadway stage.

www.MotownTheMusical.com