Motown: The Musical takes its music and lyrics from “The Legendary Motown Catalog.” So how can it lose? No way. It can’t and it doesn’t. “Do You Love Me?” Yes, indeedy.
The national tour now in Cleveland (until Oct. 19) of Broadway’s Motown the Musical packs over sixty hit songs loved over the years by several generations of teens (and the resulting adults) into one terrific hand-waving, foot-stomping humming-along celebration at Playhouse Square’s State Theatre.
The story (relax, there’s not much story, mostly music) centers on Berry Gordy, who borrowed money from his family to set up Motown Records in 1959 Detroit. Like another popular show just in Cleveland, Jersey Boys, it offers an answer to the old “how did they make it in showbiz?” question.
But this show’s even better because the accompanying musical numbers made famous through Berry Gordy’s Motown Records are the true stars: “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “Baby I Need Your Lovin,” “Dancing in the Street,” “I Hear a Symphony,” “My Girl,” and dozens more turn up–given extended numbers, others get just a flash of melody.
The big names, such as Diana Ross (convincingly played by Allison Semmes), Smokey Robinson (Nicholas Christopher), Marvin Gaye (Jarran Muse), and kid versions of Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder get plenty of attention. As Gordy, Clifton Oliver switched seamlessly from present to past, conveying the energy and salesmanship the original must have had to create a revolutionary listening experience and popularizing a fresh new sound.
Semmes’ Diana Ross showed Ross’s personal and vocal charm (especially when she prompted two audience members to come up and sing “Reach Out and Touch”–they did a great job) and plenty of fashion (especially that form-fitting sparkly red outfit with the billowing feathery cape! I think I need that). Leon Outlaw, Jr. (who alternates with Reed L. Shannon) cutely played all the spunky kid versions of Gordy, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson.
The over two-dozen dancers and singers in the ensemble demonstrated the depth of talent the musical theatre world has to draw on these days. Moving in quartets, whole cast numbers,or as backup singers, they showed there was nothing (seemingly) they couldn’t do as they evoked memories of The Supremes (“Buttered Popcorn,” “Where Did Our Love Go?”), The Miracles (“Shop Around”) The Marvelettes (“Please Mr. Postman”), Mary Wells and The Temptations (“By By Baby”/’”Two Lovers Medley”), Martha and the Vandellas (“Dancing in the Street”), The Contours (“Do You Love Me”), etc. etc. (and, yay!) etc.
Bottom Line: More than just reliving the “Good Old Days,” this show entertains with splendid production numbers and fine voices.
[Photo: Clifton Olver as Berry Gordy & Cast MOTOWN THE MUSICAL First National Tour (C) Joan Marcus, 2014]
Motown runs through Sunday, October 19 at the State Theatre, Playhouse Square. For tickets go to playhousesquare.org or call 216-241-6000 or 866-546-1353.
Laura Kennelly is a freelance arts journalist, a member of the Music Critics Association of North America, and an associate editor of BACH, a scholarly journal devoted to J. S. Bach and his circle.Listening to and learning more about music has been a life-long passion. She knows there’s no better place to do that than the Cleveland area.