MOTOWN THE MUSICAL Now Booking in the West End to January 2019

Motown the Musical has just released 500,000 new tickets for sale, taking bookings for the hit West End production into 2019 when the show will celebrate its third year in London and Motown will celebrate sixty years since the record company was founded. Tickets are available to purchase for the production which is now running at the Shaftesbury Theatre until 5 January 2019.

With music and lyrics from the Motown catalogue and book by Motown founder Berry Gordy the production features a sixteen-piece orchestra playing 50 Motown tracks including Ain't No Mountain High Enough, I'll Be There, Dancing In The Street, Stop! In The Name Of Love, My Girl and I Heard It through the Grapevine. Charles Randolph-Wright's production tells the story behind the classic hits.

Next month, on Saturday 19 August, Motown the Musical will hold children's open auditions for the role of Young Michael Jackson, Berry Gordy and Stevie Wonder. Registration will be at 9.15am, taking place at the Brixton Community Base, Talma Road, London SW2 1AS. For more information please visit http://motownthemusical.co.uk/childrens-auditions/

With just $800 borrowed from his family, Motown founder Berry Gordy, goes from featherweight boxer to heavyweight music mogul, discovering and launching the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and many more. Motown the Musical uncovers the true story of the legendary record label that changed music history and created the soundtrack of a generation.

On 4 September 2017 David Albury and Kayi Ushe will join the cast as Smokey Robinson and as Marvin Gaye respectively. They will perform alongside Cedric Neal as Berry Gordy with Lucy St. Louis as Diana Ross. Members of the ensemble play the roles of Eddie Kendricks, Jackie Wilson, Anna Gordy, Esther, Teena Marie, Florence Ballard, Martha Reeves, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Mary Wells, Mary Wilson and Stevie Wonder. The ensemble features KM Drew Boateng, Ryan Carter, Samuel Edwards, Vanessa Fisher, Dujonna Gift-Simms, Simon Ray Harvey, Terique Jarrett, Cameron Bernard Jones, Cleopatra Joseph, Wilson Kiiru, Natasha Leaver, Kieran McGinn, Simone Mistry-Palmer, Samuel Nicholas, Brianna Ogunbawo, Matt Overfield, Jay Perry, Timothy Quinlan, Sharon Rose, Lawrence Rowe, Ashley Samuels, BranDon Lee Sears, CaRL Spencer, Alex Thomas-Smith, Cherelle WIlliams , Richard Taylor Woods, Michael Woolston-Thomas and Jayme-Lee Zanoncelli. Nana Ageyman-Bediako, 11 years old from Haringey, London, Raphael Higgins-Humes, 11 years old from Greenwich, London, Rio Myers, 11 years old from Lewisham, London and Tumo Reetsang, 12 years old from Southwark, London share the role of Young Michael Jackson, Berry Gordy and Stevie Wonder.

The Tony nominated Motown the Musical received its world premiere in April 2013 in New York with Berry Gordy and legendary Motown artists Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Mary Wilson, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder attending opening night. The show began its West End run in February 2016 with Gordy, Robinson and Wilson once again supporting the show on opening night. Subsequently, during the London run, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves and Tito and Jackie Jackson have also visited the production. The first US National Tour opened to critical acclaim in Spring 2014 in Chicago and continues to play to packed houses across America.

Motown the Musical is directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, has music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Ethan Popp, co-orchestrations and additional arrangements by Bryan Cook, dance arrangements by Zane Mark and music direction by Gareth Weedon. Choreography is by Patricia Wilcox and Warren Adams, scenic design by David Korins, costumes by ESOSA, lighting by Natasha Katz, sound by Peter Hylenski and projections by Daniel Brodie. UK Associate Director is Tara Wilkinson, UK Associate Set Designer is Andrew Edwards and UK Associate Lighting Designer is Alistair Grant. Motown the Musical is produced in the West End by Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris, Berry Gordy and Adam Spiegel.

Motown the Musical is proudly supported by Swarovski crystal who originally partnered with the show on Broadway and provided 400,000 Swarovski crystals for costume and set.

Tickets from £19.50. No booking fees via www.motownthemusical.co.uk, over the phone on 020 7379 5399 or in person at the Shaftesbury Theatre Box Office.

Photo credit: Tristram Kenton