Review: MOTOWN Rocks Hershey (But Not Enough)

MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL burst onto Broadway in 2014, when it pulled nominations for four Tony awards. None were for best musical, which seems peculiar when what's arguably the greatest popular music of the Twentieth Century is being put on stage in lavish recreations of famous concert performances. But when the show's book is by Berry Gordy, and the story easily could be renamed The Berry Gordy Story, because that's what the show is, perhaps that's a hint that Motown's hits are why the audience is there, but not why the show is.

MOTOWN is currently on tour and at Hershey Theatre, where the stage looks magnificent as the scenes change from Temptations performances in concert to Jackson Five performances on television, with the riotous costumes and show scenery we remember from 1970s variety shows. MOTOWN is nothing if not colorful, but while the Motown sound seems to run throughout continually, as well it should, it seems as if no one ever completes a song; most numbers are there just long enough to prove that Berry Gordy was there, recorded that, won a gold album, and moved on to the next hit. In one respect it's a jukebox musical that works perfectly as the music fits seamlessly, regardless of performer, into Gordy's life story (or the portions Gordy wants recalled on stage), but it's less than that, since one chorus of a song doesn't seem to be much of a performance - although it's the only way to fit fifty or more songs into one show. Gordy tries just a little too hard.

The cast, fortunately, rises well above the book, and is passionate about their performances of the music, which is the most important thing. Chester Gregory approaches his portrayal of Gordy as human rather than as icon, and that's only fair as Gordy's feet have vast quantities of clay to them - the story's arc is about his near-refusal to attend his own record company's twenty-fifth anniversary concert in anger at his former performers. While Gregory sees Gordy's issues, it's not always clear that Gordy does. Allison Semmes is a lovely Diana Ross, with a beautiful, ringing voice. She's more than competent at delivering Ross and Supremes standards, as well as dealing with the romantic scenes between Ross and Gordy (one wonders if the subtitle of the show shouldn't be "I Used to Date Diana Ross, People," as much as this part of the story line is emphasized).

David Kaverman, like Gregory and Semmes, appears throughout the production, as Smokey Robinson, friend, alter ego, and occasional conscience to Gordy. Other characters come and go: Jarran Muse as Marvin Gaye, Malcolm Armwood as Rick James, Judith Franklin as Martha Reeves, and Gabriella Whiting as Florence Ballard, among numerous others - and yes, there's plenty of the Florence Ballard story throughout The Supremes' story line as well as the emergence of Diana Ross from the group.

Worthy of note are the ensembles for "Dancing in the Street" and for "War," two of the few songs given full attention. Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me" is also nicely done, as is the staging of the Jackson Five's "ABC."

Expect pleasant flashbacks, and plan to sing along, as most of the rest of the audience will be. It's hard for audiences to recall, or to process when they see on stage, that once upon a time this was "race music," played only to Black audiences, or to audiences with segregated seating in theatres. MOTOWN is about the twenty-fifth anniversary of Motown, but after over fifty years of Motown Records, its sound is not the music of a race, but of our national life. Perhaps no other record label has had such an impact on the sound of America. And more reminders of that, and fewer of Gordy's peccadilloes, would be a vast improvement in the story.

At Hershey Theatre through the 24th. Visit HersheyTheatre.com.

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