I had an opportunity to see Motown The Musical on opening night at DPAC and I got so much more than I expected. My guest for the evening was Leslie from SobeSavvy and we had a ball! I honestly thought it was going to be a general story line with all the Motown Hits. It was so much more than that. There was so much history in the story line that I walked away feeling like I got a history lesson, concert and overall fantastic story line. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, go get them ASAP! Motown The Musical will be at DPAC from Tuesday August 1st through Sunday the 6th.
Motown The Musical is chronicling the journey of Berry Gordy from his youth to becoming a featherweight boxer. Then building Motown Records “his DREAM†and launching the careers of many greats we know like The Temptations, Diana Ross (The Supremes), Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and the list goes on. It was apparent that Motown was more than just your average record company, it was a FAMILY! There were so many obstacles to overcome inside and outside of the music industry.
We got a taste of racism and what artists had to go through trying to get their records played on the radio and even during live performances due to segregation. They were able to beat the odds and used their music to spread a message. Think… Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” or Diana Ross “Reach Out and Touch”. You see the progress that is made once they get booked by the Copacabana in that era. More than 40 classic hits are featured during the performance like You’re All I Need, Stop! In the Name of Love, Square Biz and so many more. We were all dancing in our seats and singing along with the cast.
The cast is AMAZING! Chester Gregory who plays Berry Gordy and Allison Semmes who played Diana Ross were PHENOMINAL. Malcolm Armwood played Marvin Gaye opening night; he’s ECU Alum and no stranger to North Carolina! He was awesome! I enjoyed the entire performance from beginning to end. The choreography, orchestra music and scenes were perfect. They changed seamlessly and kept us all engaged and into the story line. I left learning so much more about Motown than I originally knew and most importantly… NEVER give up on your DREAMS!
Motown The Musical is Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, 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. If you haven’t snagged your tickets they start at $30 (plus taxes/fees). Tickets are available through DPAC online or through Ticketmaster. You also can visit the DPAC Box Office and purchase your tickets.