Review: MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, Shaftesbury Theatre, March 10 2016

Motown the Musical smashes together all of your favourite Motown hits, while following the story of Berry Gordy, the man who made it all happen. Showcasing a mammoth 50 songs, the music is centre stage here and with such strong delivery, it's bound to get you dancing.

In America, 1959, Gordy founded Motown, bringing together a production line of producers, writers and musicians to create hit after hit. And hit after hit he got! It's difficult to find another person who facilitated a legacy quite like Gordy's, and having written and produced this autobiographical piece, there's no chance we'll be forgetting.

Serving up The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves, Smokey Robinson and a whole lot more, the sublime cast bounce through the hits, adopting a plethora of voices and sounds. Motown hits with energy from the opening chord, and despite some shifty nips and tucks which often stifle the songs, the cast does more than honour the hits.

Cedric Neal plays Gordy with sensitivity and surprises with an electric voice of his own. Lucy St Louis is a startlingly uncanny Diana Ross and Charl Brown plays Smokey Robinson with velvet vocals and an infectious smile. It's terrific to see such a large and talented ensemble, which could have been exploited with a few more dance numbers.

David Korin's scenic design glides effortlessly, framing the numbers and summoning a range of moods. Esosa too deserves a nod, for some terrific costumes, as does the music department led by Ethan Pop. Headed by director Charles Randolph-Wright, this team has generated an authentic world, which manages to surpass the shaky plot.

Throughout the show, Motown tracks the racial tensions of the time, providing a particularly moving rendition of 'What's Going On' to end Act 1. However, you can't help but compare with the likes of Memphis and Dreamgirls, one of which has just closed, while the other is about to open again, but both of which tackle this time with a more original and resonating stance.

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