Berry Gordy News

BroadwayWorld interviews Nicholas Christopher, currently playing Smokey Robinson on the 'Motown the Musical' national tour.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: Roundabout's JUST JIM DALE opens off-Broadway tonight, and the IF/THEN cast recording hits shelves today, along with Ahrens & Flaherty's live album NICE FIGHTING YOU.

The producers of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL have announced that Josh Tower (The Lion King, original cast of Ragtime) will assume the role of "Berry Gordy" beginning Tuesday, June 17 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) will host its 27th annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards on Thursday, June 26th, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.

As BWW reported earlier today, America's Poet Laureate Maya Angelou has passed away at the age of 86. The poet died last night, May 27th in a Winston-Salem, North Carolina hospital while recovering from an 'unexpected ailment'. She died surrounded by her family. On her passing, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL creator and Motown founder Berry Gordy offered the following statement in honor of the African American and literary icon.

The Fulfillment Fund is proud to announce the 7th Annual "The Songs of Our Lives" concert, which will pay special tribute to the songs of internationally acclaimed Songwriter's Hall of Fame and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, songwriter Lamont Dozier and the legendary Songwriter's Hall of Famer, two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, singer-songwriter, David Crosby. "The Songs of Our Lives" is a benefit concert showcasing award-winning songwriters performing the hit songs they have written over the course of their career. The Songs of Our Lives provides a unique opportunity to experience these pieces as the songwriter envisioned them. The intimate setting of this event gives guests the chance to be up close and personal with these artists. Award-winning songwriter Charles Fox, a longtime Fulfillment Fund board member along with his wife Joan Fox, created "The Songs of Our Lives" as an opportunity to combine entertainment and philanthropy in a meaningful way to support the Fulfillment Fund's important work in the community. Songwriters who have participated in The Songs of Our Lives include Academy and Grammy Award winning songwriters such as Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Marilyn and Alan Bergman, Hal David, Mac Davis, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, David Foster, Steve Karmen, Jerry Leiber, Kenny Loggins, Barry Mann, Alan Rich, Mike Stoller, Cynthia Weil, Paul Williams, Bill Withers, and many others. Freda Payne as well as Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence (Formerly of The Supremes) have been added to the program as well.

The acclaimed, Emmy award nominated series 'Oprah's Master Class' featuring an unprecedented first-person insight into the brilliant minds of entertainers we love, respect and admire, returns with an all-new season premiering tonight, May 11 (from 10-11 p.m. ET/PT) on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

'Motown the Musical' plays out like a veritable hit parade. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, this first national touring production showcases Motown Records producer Berry Gordy's greatest songs as performed by some capable onstage talent. The show makes for a lively and fun evening at the theatre but provides little in the way of truly meaningful plot or character development.

The May edition of ARTS IN THE CITY celebrates the coming of summer and the latest cultural touchstones in the New York area.

New subscriptions to the 2014-2015 50th Anniversary Desert Schools Broadway Across America - Arizona season at ASU Gammage go on sale May 12. In celebration of the 50th Anniversary, ASU Gammage is bringing a season of the hottest shows on Broadway and the biggest blockbusters to ever grace our stage including 2013 Tony Award for Best Musical winner KINKY BOOTS, PIPPIN, MOTOWN and Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA! The Broadway series at ASU Gammage is the largest theatrical subscription series in the state of Arizona and one of the most successful Broadway series in the country.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Welcome to the '60s, with 'How To Succeed,' 'Motown,' 'Cabaret' and 'Hair,' plus tributes to Jack Lemmon and the Carpenters, the upcoming 'Jersey Boys' film, 'Option Up!,' that one-night 'Parade' concert and the BroadwayWorld Chicago Tony Award Viewing Party!

The May edition of ARTS IN THE CITY celebrates the coming of summer and the latest cultural touchstones in the New York area.

Today's photos come from the casts of ROCKY, 50 SHADES, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, LES MISERABLES, and more!

Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation presents one of the most influential groups of the 20th century, The Temptations, for the final performance in its inaugural season, on Saturday, June 7 at 8pm. For more than forty years, The Temptations have prospered, propelling popular music with a series of smash hits, and sold-out performances throughout the world. Tickets, available online by visiting www.Arcadiapaf.org, are $59.50 and $99.50. The theatre is at 188 Campus Drive at North Santa Anita Avenue, Arcadia CA 91007. For more information please call 626-821-1781.

Inside Broadway's Executive Director Michael Presser has announced that on Thursday, May 22, the historic Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street) will be visited by thousands of NYC public school students as the Great White Way's leading arts education non-profit partners with the Tony Award-nominated production of Motown the Musical to offer two exclusive Creating the Magic events taking place at 10:45am and 1:15pm.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. The latest Jeff Award nominations, 'Brigadoon' gets cast, 'The Sound Of Music' and 'Motown' light up the Loop, new musicals from Writers Theatre and American Theater Company, 'Nunsense,' 'The Wild Party,' a new web series to support and more!

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, along with Broadway In Chicago, have announced that due to popular demand MOTOWN THE MUSICAL has added four weeks to its Chicago engagement. The National Tour will launch at the Oriental Theatre on April 22 and now play 16 weeks, through August 9, before continuing on its National Tour across North America. The final block of tickets for performances July 15 through August 9 will go on sale Tuesday, April 22 at 10 a.m.

The Fabulous Fox Theatre has announced its stellar 2014-2015 U.S. Bank Broadway Series, featuring the smash hit KINKY BOOTS, winner of six 2013 Tony Awards® including Best Musical. Of the six season ticket package shows, four of them will make their Fox Theatre and St. Louis debuts. Fox Theatre audiences can look forward to the unforgettable songs and sensual dancing featured in DIRTY DANCING - The Classic Story On Stage; the American dream story behind the hits in MOTOWN THE MUSICAL; Cameron Mackintosh's spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA; the enchanting revival of Rogers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA; and the hilarious stage production of A CHRISTMAS STORY.

The acclaimed, Emmy award nominated series 'Oprah's Master Class" featuring an unprecedented first-person insight into the brilliant minds of entertainers we love, respect and admire, returns with an all-new season premiering Sunday, May 11

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL star Brandon Victor Dixon appeared this week on WLNY-TV's 'Live From The Couch' to speak with host John Elliott about working with Berry Gordy on the smash hit musical from the very beginning, the historical significance of Motown's legacy, and bringing that story to Broadway. Check out the interview below!