Josh Tower News

Motown the Musical, the Broadway show which dramatizes the rise and fall of the record label of the same name, opened yesterday in Toronto at The Princess of Wales Theatre. Though full of hit songs you will recognize, overall the show was underwhelming and lacked enough exposition to hold the audience's attention for almost three hours.

I grew up on vinyl records, 'hit parades' and transistor radios tuned to the AM dial. I love Motown Music. But I felt skeptical about a breezy staged extravaganza about Berry Gordy's mercurial career. Five minutes into the opening medley, this stunning production won me over. This is NOT your assembly line jukebox musical!

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, the hit musical featuring the music of the legendary Motown catalogue and a book by Berry Gordy, ended its Broadway run yesterday, January 18 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. MOTOWN is set to return to Broadway at a Nederlander theatre to be announced in July 2016. Last spring, the first National Tour of Motown the Musical opened to critical acclaim, grossing an impressive $20 Million dollars during a packed sixteen-week run, and is now heading to major markets across the US. MOTOWN will also head to London's West End this summer. BroadwayWorld was there for the show's final curtain call and you can check out photo coverage below!

A slew of plays and musicals will open on Broadway in Spring 2015, but where there is good news, there is also sad. To make room for highly-anticipated new productions such as Finding Neverland, On the Twentieth Century and Doctor Zhivago, some of our most beloved shows must close for good. Below, BroadwayWorld salutes the shows that will soon be taking their final Broadway bows. Get your tickets now to catch them while you still can!

PIX 11 News anchor Tamsen Fadal recently went 'Backstage on Broadway' at Motown the Musical. Stars Josh Tower, Charl Brown, Bryan Terrell Clark, Raymond Luke Jr., and Nathaniel Cullors were on hand to show her behind the scenes at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, while Music Director Joseph Joubert and Hair Department Supervisor Heather Wright revealed some of the details that take audiences back to the Motor City eight times a week. Click below to go backstage with the cast and creative team!

This week's event featured performances from the cast of MATILDA, featuring: Josh Tower, Krystal Joy Brown, Dwayne Cooper, Nathaniel Cullors, Justin Prescott,Jaquez Andre Sims and Nik Walker. Check out clips from 'You're All I Need to Get By,' 'Can I Close the Door,' and 'ABC' below!

This week's event featured performances from the casts of MATILDA (Paige Brady, Gabby Pizzolo, Ripley Sobo, Ava Ulloa and Marisa Kennedy, Jennifer Bowles, Heather Tepe, Sean Montgomery, Alex Brightman, Geoff Packard, John Arthur Greene, Timothy Cao, Grace Capeless, Ava DeMary, Jonah Halperin, Alexa Shae Niziak, Sofia Roma Rubino, Analise Scarpaci, Mitchell Sink, Chris Sumpter, Beatrice Tulchin and TEd Wilson), ON THE TOWN (Brandon Leffler, Tony Yazbeck, Cody Williams and Alysha Umphress), MAMMA MIA! (Felicia Finley, Judy McLane, Stacia Fernandez , Traci Victoria, Thomasina E. Gross, Jacob Pinion, Albert Guerzon, Deanna Aguinaga, Sydni Beaudoin, Allyson Carr, Felicity Claire, Mark Dancewicz, Corey Greenan, Bryan Scott Johnson, Corinne MeIancon, Christopher Hudson Myers, Jennifer Noth, Ashley Park, Tera-Lee Pollin, Gerard Salvador, Neil Starkenberg and Victor Wallace) and MOTOWN THE MUSICAL (Josh Tower, Krystal Joy Brown, Dwayne Cooper, Nathaniel Cullors, Justin Prescott, Jaquez Andre Sims and Nik Walker). Check out photos below!

A great, big Broadway season is on its way, with fourteen productions already slated to open in the next few months. With weeks until the craziness begins, there is still plenty of time to catch up on what's been going on at Broadway's already occupied theaters. BroadwayWorld will be profiling the hits of the Great White Way that continue to draw crowds after months, years, and (in some cases) decades. Meet the current cast of Broadway's MOTOWN below!

Below, check out the brand new commercial for Broadway's smash hit musical, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL.

Broadway's smash hit Motown the Musical just marked the production's 500th performance on Broadway last night, June 26 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, featuring music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue and a book by Berry Gordy, opened on Broadway on April 14th, 2013 at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street). BroadwayWorld was there for the special celebration and you can check out photos below!

Broadway's smash hit Motown the Musical is thrilled to mark the production's 500th performance on Broadway today, June 26 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Broadway's smash hit MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is thrilled to mark the production's 500th performance on Broadway on Thursday, June 26 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

On Twitter Watch, BadSimba wrote ' Debut as Berry Gordy @MotownMusical with AMAZING cast & then hours later.... My daughter arrived. 'Hello' LIFE! '

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: WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID raises the curtain off-Broadway, MOTOWN gets a new 'Berry Gordy', a great selection of new cast albums hit the shelves and more!

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 Today, June 17 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

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.

Musicals Tonight! continues its ongoing salute to Broadway and Off-Broadway Standbys, Understudies and Alternates with its next edition of At This Performance... to be held on Sunday, March 23rd at The Lion Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street at 7 PM.

Casa Mañana will debut an original production, Bad Boys of Broadway In Concert, during a limited engagement today, January 10 through 12, 2014, in Fort Worth. The new show brings the brightest talent direct from Broadway to sing memorable, villainous songs from award-winning Broadway and West End musicals. Single tickets are on sale now through the Casa Box Office and Ticketmaster.

Casa Manana Executive Producer Wally Jones has announced an original production, Bad Boys of Broadway In Concert, to open at the Fort Worth theatre for a limited engagement January 10 through 12, 2014.