Review: MOTOWN THE MUSICAL Will Leave Audiences Dancing into the Streets

By Mary Damiano

It was the music that put the Motor City on the map for something other than moving vehicles.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, currently at Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, is the kind of song-filled, dance-in-your-seat show that you go to knowing all the words to all the songs and spend the next three hours singing the lyrics along with the performers.

While the Jersey Boys were perfecting their harmonies on east coast street corners, Berry Gordy was perfecting his unique sound in Detroit. MOTOWN THE MUSICAL illustrates his dream and the drive that made it come true.

Framed by the 1983 TV special celebrating Motown's 25th anniversary, the musical chronicles Gordy's first success as a songwriter and then the meetings with those who would become legends, including Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye and the Jackson Five. The story begins at a crossroads in Gordy's career and his life: feeling unloved and unappreciated by the artists he helped make famous, he must decide whether or not to attend the celebration of his label's legacy. It then goes back in time to show how Berry arrived at that moment---how he first sold a song to Jackie Wilson, how an $800 loan from his family founded the label, how he bought a house and turned it into Hitsville USA, how he overcame the racial discrimination of the day, and how, ultimately, it all fell apart. It wasn't always one big happy family---Gordy's motto belief that competition breeds champions also bred resentment among his artists. It's a story we've seen before: business gets in the way of friendships, power corrupts, and ego ruins everything.

The highlight of this story, of course, is the music, all that glorious music. In its heyday, Motown artists dominated the charts and the music is all here---nearly 60 hits are included in this show, including "Baby Love" "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" "Dancing in the Street" "Shotgun" "I Want You Back"---the list goes on and on and on...

Clocking in at nearly three hours, it's not the music that drags down MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, it's the story. While it's thrilling to watch the origins of so many of the stars we love, tedium sets in as the plot devotes too much time to Gordy's personal relationship with Diana Ross, so much so that sometimes it feels as if we're watching outtakes from DREAMGIRLS. Make no mistake---Clifton Oliver and Allison Semmes are terrific as Berry Gordy and Diana Ross, but watching them together often means we're not watching recreations of Motown performances, which is the show's strength.

There are too many terrific moments to mention, but they include Gordy first being introduced to the Jackson 5, with a pint-size Michael hitting all those high notes, Jarran Muse as Marvin Gaye singing "Mercy Mercy Me" and showing the growing social consciousness of the era, and when Diana Ross appears and suddenly you realize Miss Ross has just arrived.

The cast is pitch perfect and adept at portraying the Motown artists: standouts include Martina Sykes, who is dynamic as Mary Wilson; and Leon Outlaw Jr. as young Michael Jackson.

The scenic design by David Korins, the lighting by Natasha Katz and the projections by Daniel Brody combine to create a simple, elegant yet often trippy experience, effectively capturing the evolving style of the 1960s and 1970s. The costume designs by Esosa gets it mostly right, recreating, among other looks, the sparkly, fitted dresses worn by the Supremes and other female acts and Michael Jackson's iconic hat and long fringed leather vest.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL presents a treasure trove of some of America's finest music from the 1960s and 1970s. It's thrilling to watch musical history recreated---and it will send you dancing into the streets.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL runs through March 8 at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. For tickets and information, visit BrowardCenter.org.

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