Tuesday Jan. 31, 2017 – Motown The Musical – The Pantages Theatre

It is one thing to be an audience member and experience the story of one of the most important music pioneers ever, but another thing when the musical is over and he appears there onstage in person. Yes both Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson came on stage to give a brief speech and thank the cast and director for this great show!

Motown The Musical is the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and so many more. Featuring more than 40 classic hits such as “My Girl” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Motown The Musical tells the story behind the hits as Diana, Smokey, Berry and the whole Motown family fight against the odds to create the soundtrack of change in America. Motown shattered barriers shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat.

Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, Produced by Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris, Motown Founder Berry Gordy and the Nederlander Organization, featuring Chester Gregory as “Berry Gordy”, Allison Semmes “as Diana Ross”, and Jarran Muse as “Marvin Gaye” reprising their Broadway roles. Also joining the cast are David Kaverman as “Smokey Robinson”, CJ Wright as “Young Berry Gordy”, “Young Stevie Wonder”, “Young Michael Jackson”, and Raymond Davis, Jr. as “Young Berry Gordy”, “Young Stevie Wonder”, “Young Michael Jackson”. Rounding out the company are Michelle Alves, Malcolm Armwood, Erick Buckley, Latrisa Harper, Judith Franklin, Jeremy Gaston, Alyssa V. Gomez, Garfield Hammonds, Rod Harrelson, Jared Howelton, Louis James Jackson, Elijah Ahmad Lewis, Ramone Owens, Devin L. Price, Alana Randall, Tavia Rivee, Matthew Sims Jr., Kimberly Ann Steele, Doug Storm, Daniel Robert Sullivan, Gabriella Whiting, Galen J. Williams & Ricardo A. Zayas.

The show was recently nominated for eleven 2016 NAACP Theatre Awards, garnering four of the top awards at the 26th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards ceremony held in Beverly Hills on Monday, November 21, 2016. The first national tour of Motown The Musical won for Best Playwright (Motown Founder Berry Gordy), Best Choreography (Patricia Wilcox and Warren Adam), Best Costumes (ESosa), and Best Sound (Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook).

Featuring more than 40 classic hits such as “My Girl” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Motown The Musical’s arrangements and orchestrations are by Grammy and Tony Award® nominee Ethan Popp (Rock of Ages), who also serves as music supervisor in reproducing the classic “Sound of Young America,” with co-orchestrations and additional arrangements by Tony Award® nominee Bryan Crook (“Smash”) and dance arrangements by Zane Mark (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels).

Motown The Musical features staging by Schele Williams, choreography by Patricia Wilcox (A Night with Janis Joplin) and Warren Adams (Toy Story), scenic design by David Korins (Bring It On: The Musical, Annie), costume design by Tony Award® nominee ESosa (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, “Project Runway”), lighting design by Tony Award® winner Natasha Katz (Once, Sister Act), sound design by Tony Award® nominee Peter Hylenski (Rock of Ages, The Scottsboro Boys), projection design by Daniel Brodie (Aladdin), hair and wig design by Charles LaPointe (Memphis) and casting by Wojcik Seay Casting. Motown The Musical is produced by Tony Award® winning producer Kevin McCollum (Rent, In the Heights, Avenue Q), Chairman and CEO of SONY Music Entertainment Doug Morris and Motown founder Berry Gordy, and in association with Work Light Productions.

This is truly a trip down memory lane, into the most iconic music periods of all of our lives. You will be dancing, applauding and revel in this fantastic musical. Run don’t walk to Motown The Musical.

Opening Night: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 8pm through Feb.12. Performance Schedule: Tuesday – Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, Sunday at 1pm & 6:30pm

Hollywood Pantages Theater
6233 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
www.MotownTheMusical.com.
www.HollywoodPantages.com
* Note some content was taken off of Motown The Musical website
Photos: www.hollywoodpantages.com/motownphotos
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Production B-Roll: www.hollywoodpantages.com/motownbroll
Courtesy: Hollywood Pantages

Comments

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *