Musical in the City - Motown the Musical

A couple of friends at work saw Motown The Musical and they have nothing but praise for this production. I was skeptical at first but Mijo and I went to check it out eventually.

You know what? This is like watching a concert with all the Motown greats in it. This is probably one of the most entertaining Broadway shows I've seen it was like going to a music festival.

Motown The Musical is a traveling production and it was only in San Francisco for a little over a month. I've seen the ads but I was not keen on seeing it at first. Two of my coworkers went during the first weeks after the production started playing and they all liked the show.

I am a fan of the 60s music but I was skeptical seeing the show. Four days before the production's last performance, Mijo got tickets to Motown The Musical for a Thursday night show. I was grateful and I obliged to go with him.

We went to Gialina in Glen Park for a quick bite and off we go to the Orpheum Theatre. The show looked like it was a sold out show.

Motown The Musical is a story of Berry Gordy and how he started Motown records and how the record label's artists became hits and superstars. There was also small stories within the main story that provided colorful layers such as the Civil Rights movement, the Flower Power and the hippie era. It was very easy to like this show because of the legendary songs from the 60s through 70s and a few 80s which the cast sang so beautifully. From the Playbill, I counted over 60 music credits!

The costumes were fabulous. Though I didn't grow up during the 60s and 70s, I do appreciate the style of clothing of those times. Of course, the scenes that drew loud claps were performances by The Supremes, Marvelettes, Gladys Knight, Four Top, Temptation, Commodore, Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye.

It was never a dull moment. Even though I was seated, I was sort of dancing in my seat.

Gordy was played by Clifton Oliver. Allison Semmes was amazing as Diana Ross. Nicolas Christopher as Smokey Robinson and Jarran Muse as Marvin Gaye. Leon Outlaw Jr and Reed Shannon were playing as the young Stevie Wonder and young Michael Jackson and young Gordy.

Before the end of the show, Diana Ross played by Allison Semmes asked a couple of volunteers from the audience to a sing-a-long. Both volunteers did well. I would have failed miserably had I been chosen from among the orchestra crowd.

I am so glad we went and saw the show.

Even though the tract music are shorter than the original version, I still bought the Original Broadway Cast Recording CD of the musical.

Motown The Musical played from August 15, 2014 through September 28, 2014 at San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre.

~rl