Motown - Lunt Fontanne Theater, Broadway July 31st 2014

Motown -Lunt Fontanne Theater,  Broadway  Thursday July 31st 2014

"Motown" the musical is a classical juke box musical that celebrates the history of  Motown Records and the stars that were developed, rejected and fostered through this iconic Record Company.

It was a fun night at the theatre and had many hit songs to create the journey of the "Motown Records."  The staging is simple and very effective that creates a visual treat by using curtains and tabs to adjust the size of the viewing area.

Our focus is admirably directed on most occasions to the Charles Randolph-Wright.  He has directed a fairly tight show that has about five transitions that slow down the action by only a few seconds each time.  But in this "Me"Generation of "Selfies" that few seconds takes away from a few masturbatory swipes of your phone to check your latest message.  With a little picking up on queues and entrances this would alleviate these holes.  I was watching the audience during these few seconds and they were chaffing at the bit for the show to move forward.

Most of the lighting was brilliant to create a sense of space and time.  Though a few transitions seemed not to flow as smoothly as I would have liked.  For example one entrance of Mary Wells stage right could have been lit more effectively to make this a  more magical moment.  She seemed to walk into a dead space and then the lights came on.

I love seeing a show after is has been run in to really test to see if it is giving the public value.  Yes this show does gives exceptional bang for your buck with enthusiasm, entertainment and a history.  My partner and myself both gave it 7.5/10 and our friend was amazed that we both said this rating simultaneously without consultation.

The sets were amazingly simple and very effective.  The sets moved with precision and no hiccups. They were mainly consisting of curtains or pillars on tracks to create various size picture frames.  I loved how the director shifted our focus smoothly from left to right to allow for changes and keep the story moving forward.

Most of the singing was good.  Though three ensemble numbers had some very rough, flat harmonies. You could tell that some of the cast were trying to maintain their pitch true to the orchestral arrangement.

Choreographically "Motown" honoured the era.  Patricia Wiclcox and Warren Adams brought to life many of the dance styles of the era.  The choreography and staging also recreated some iconic musically historical moments with signature accuracy to take us back to those times.

The video montages of JFK,  Martin Luther King, Vietnam War etc brought back many memories from my childhood. This musical honoured these major events in a succinct manner and assisted in recreating the era and moving the story forward in an honest and non-didactic way.

Costumes by Esosa were brilliantly realised and captured the key moments in "Motown's" history.
The lavish costumes for the women would make any drag queen envious.  The large red cape for Diana Ross was superb.  I think I was more impressed with the logistical onstage dressing and teamwork and the instant reveal of this red cape falling into place than the actual cape.  I still revel in the magnificent timing to surprise us with this costume change.

Hair and wigs by Charles G. LaPointe reflected the era well.  hough a few of the wigs could have been closely fitted in some of the costume changes.  Seeing the hairline on two characters shows how tight some costume changes can be.

I loved Marvin Gaye played by Bryan Terrell Clark for his strength and passion for his vision.  Diana Ross played by Krystal Joy-Brown recreated iconic moments in history with predicable realism but more importantly with purity of voice and spirit.  Berry Gordy was played with courage and honesty by Josh Tower.  He was focused and determined and lost insight of his relationships.

I guess acquiring the rights to some of the Motown catalogue of songs may have been a challenge as some important and memorable songs were not featured or even mentioned.  My eldest brother introduced me to so many of these performers and it was a revelation for white people from down under.  But Australians are very accepting and adored the Motown label.  Some songs missing influenced and compromises the book. as it seems bit stilted at times rather than flowing.

I did enjoy the show and my partner felt that there were major songs which seem to be missing as was the way with "The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert" that could not use the ABBA material.  (Though that film really cemented ABBA into stone with the use of their music in the film.  I guess it allowed them to create "Mama Mia" the musical.)

Overall I would recommend the show but for the price I think it is a bit steep at $105 a ticket.  It is worth about $60 - $80 to see as it has been running a while now.