Josh Tower to Succeed Brandon Victor Dixon as 'Berry Gordy' in Broadway's MOTOWN, 6/17

The producers of Motown the Musical have announced that Josh Tower (The Lion King, original cast of Ragtime) will assume the role of "Berry Gordy" beginning Tuesday, June 17 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Tony Award nominee Brandon Victor Dixon will play his final performance as "Berry Gordy" on Sunday, June 15. Beginning that day, Motown the Musical adds a special Sunday evening performance, with a new five-show weekend schedule of Friday-Sunday at 7:30pm and Saturday-Sunday at 2:00pm. The production continues on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm and Wednesdays at 2:00pm.

The first national tour of Motown the Musical opened to critical acclaim on Thursday, May 8th in Chicago at The Oriental Theatre and is now playing an extended engagement through August 9th, 2014 before continuing to cross the country.

JOSH TOWER (Berry Gordy). Broadway credits include Simba in Disney's The Lion King (2002-2007), Ragtime (original production). Other: Langston In Harlem (AUDELCO nom), Murder Ballad, Superstar, Miss Saigon, Dream Girls, Les Miserables, Bubbly Black Girl..., Joseph, Chess, Camelot.

The Broadway company of Motown the Musical also includes Krystal Joy Brown (Diana Ross), Charl Brown (Smokey Robinson), Bryan Terrell Clark (Marvin Gaye), Timothy J. Alex, Gerald Avery, Dwayne Cooper, Rebecca E. Covington, Darius Crenshaw, Dionne Figgins, Marva Hicks, Afra Hines, Tiffany Janene Howard, Dana Marie Ingraham, Jawan M. Jackson, Marcus Paul James, John Jellison, David Josefsberg, Crystal Joy, Aaron Kaburick, Mykal Kilgore, Raymond Luke, Jr., Prince George Maynard, Tracy McDowell, Jevon McFerrin, Moeisha McGill, Raven McRae, Jesse Nager, Milton Craig Nealy, Dominic Nolfi, Angela Wildflower Polk, Ryan Shaw, Jaquez André Sims, Sabrina Sloan, Eric LaJuan Summers, Ephraim Sykes, Julius Thomas III, Rickey Tripp, Nik Walker, Lisa Nicole Wilkerson, and Dashaun Young.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, featuring music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue and a book by Berry Gordy, opened on Broadway on April 14th, 2013 at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street).

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.

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. Now, experience the next electrifying chapter in the Motown story both on Broadway and across the country in a city near you.

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).

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL features arrangements and orchestrations by Tony and Grammy Award nominee Ethan Popp (Rock of Ages), who also serves as musical supervisor for the orchestra that reproduces the classic "Sound of Young America" for the stage, with co-orchestrations and additional arrangements by Tony Award nominee Bryan Crook ("Smash"), dance arrangements by Zane Mark (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and music direction by Joseph Joubert (Nice Work If You Can Get It).

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is produced on Broadway by Tony Award winning producer Kevin McCollum (Rent, In the Heights, Avenue Q), Chairman and CEO of SONY Music Entertainment Doug Morris and Motown founder Berry Gordy.

The Original Broadway Cast Album of Motown the Musical, produced by Ethan Popp for Universal Music Enterprises, was nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.