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MOTOWN WAS SO GOOD.
I don't know what it is about Motown music that always makes me want to get up and boogie. I love love love music from the old days. So when I heard Motown was coming to town, I had to go. I just had to.
My expectations were managed by the reviews I read on Motown; how it's exhausting, and long, and lacking in storyline (I don't agree), but the music speaks for itself.
The first half of Motown has a lot of exposition - almost too much... such that I was left wondering when intermission was. It was very drawn out. I think, generally, one goes into an autobiographical musical not knowing what to expect anyway - especially when it's about the 25 year history of a music production company. How do you even do that in a linear manner? Also, there is so much music that came out of Motown, that people are going to want their favorite songs serviced.
The second half, though, had so much emotion and I loved it and I knew what to expect. I especially loved the Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand) number, which involved [unsurprisingly talented] audience interaction, and really showed off the stage presence of Allison Semmes, who played Diana Ross. That was the moment I realized Diana Ross meant it when she asserts "You say it, I can do it" to Mr. Gordon. In other words, she owns it.
The actor who played young Michael Jackson, Leon Outlaw Jr. was SO ADORABLE that I would almost squeal and jump up from my seat whenever he took the stage to begin a musical number. Everything from "I Want You Back" to "ABC" to "The Love You Save" to "I'll Be There" was perfect - his facial expressions, his joy, his talent shined in this performance.
Jarran Muse (Marvin Gaye) also gave an emotional performance of Mercy, Mercy Me, which I loved in this musical (unplugged) better than the original studio recording.
And of course, anything with Stevie Wonder made me laugh. Perfect touch of comedy.
I think that Motown gets away with a lacking storyline because the audience it attracts is probably very intimate with the music, grew up with it, and therefore knows the musical's historical context. Still, I think, as someone who grew up during the tail end of the Motown era, the musical balanced service to the music and to the story plot. If you pay attention to the nuances and stage direction thrown in, it's pretty easy to infer historical context and the ideas they were hurtling past. It is called... "Motown: The Musical" after all. And if you come for the music and the entertainment, that's what you'll get!
I will say that Motown: The Musical definitely had the potential to delve deeper into many higher-level ideas - like how Motown helped blur the lines of racial segregation, the musical significance of Motown during Dr. MLK's assassination, the value of pursuing your dream and not giving up. They just chose to emphasize romance and I was definitely left unsatisfied because the romantic ending felt ambiguous and incomplete. Did they get back together? Are they just friends now and has he been left to accept that? What is the emotional significance here? After 2.75 hours, I'd forgotten the initial dialogue at the beginning of the musical so I didn't know what it was that led him to come back for the 25th Anniversary Celebration... Then again, it makes sense that they would focus on the romance - it was a big part of Berry Gordon's life and is also the only storyline that spans the entire history of Motown.
Bottom line: The music was awesome and it was exactly what I wanted. 9.5/10
P.S. I definitely recommend going up to the pit band during intermission at Orpheum Theatre and talking to the talented guys that work there. They are super friendly! Please tell them that they are doing an awesome job. We found out that they actually don't get to see the production at all.... :(
Top 10 Musical Numbers:
1. Mercy Mercy Me (Marvin Gaye)
2. Can I Close the Door (Motown: The Musical original)
3. Do You Love Me (The Contours)
4. I'll Be There (Jackson 5)
5. I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save medley (Jackson 5)
6. Reach Out and Touch (Diana Ross)
7. Happy Birthday/Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Stevie Wonder)
8. War (Edwin Starr)
9. Dancing in the Street (Martha & The Vandellas)
10. Baby Love/Where Did Our Love Go/Stop! in the Name of Love (The Supremes)
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