BWW Previews: Matt Manuel from MOTOWN THE MUSICAL opening tonight at Place Des Arts - Salle Wilfred-Pelltier, through 6/24

Matt Manuel was born and raised in Detroit, MI, "the heart of Motown." He got his start as a competitive gymnast. When he was 13, he had to quit gymnastics, which he says broke his heart. His mother convinced him to try a piano lesson while his brother took a voice lesson. The teacher accidentally switched their lessons, which made Manuel realize he could sing. He studied theatre in high school, but once in college, focused more on vocal performance, so he would be classically trained. He was a contestant on season 13 of AMERICAN IDOL, which jump started his career. Since then, he has never stopped working. Manuel plays Marvin Gaye in MOTOWN THE MUSICAL. I had the chance to speak with him while MOTOWN recently had a tour stop in Boston, MA.

HANNIBAL: What was the audition process like for AMERICAN IDOL.

MANUEL: It was a cattle call audition, which meant everyone was welcome. For my first audition, I waited 9 hours. My call back was much quicker. In total, I had 4 auditions before I made it to Hollywood.

HANNIBAL: How different was your audition for MOTOWN THE MUSICAL?

MANUEL: What's funny is that I wasn't going to audition! I was doing a show called CROSS AND LIGHT with my friend, Arielle Crosby, who is also in the cast of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL. We were on tour when she heard about the auditions. She said to me, "Matthew, we have to audition!" I said, "I'm not gonna do that, 'cause I'm not gonna book it!" She talked me into it, so I auditioned. I got a callback for the next day, they flew me out to New York, I had a couple more auditions. I submitted some videos of material they asked me to learn. A couple months after that, I booked the role!

HANNIBAL: How long have you been on this current tour?

MANUEL: I want to say it's been 8 months. We were in rehearsals for a month, so a total of 9 months.

HANNIBAL; Is it an open ended tour or a year long tour?

MANUEL: The tour actually ends June 28. The week after Montreal, we are in DC and then we are done.

MANUEL: I'm one of 7 kids. My mother was a singer and in a band. She gave up her music career when she got pregnant with me. Because she knows the business, she told me, "Matt, I know you said you want to do this. I am going to give you until you are 25 years old to make something happen." When I was 21, I was done AMERICAN IDOL and I worked with a professional band that travelled, but it wasn't what I really wanted to do with my life. I booked MOTOWN on the 25 year marker.

HANNIBAL: It's great for our readers to hear stories like this. Many of our readers are young adults for are working towards a career in theatre.

MANUEL: I was lucky. My mom never discouraged me. I had an audition for a music college here in Boston, that I went to. My mom and dad made that happen. They drove me everywhere, they have never missed a performance. They have always been there. But my mom does always say, "you must have a 'plan b.' What that means is that you don't put everything you have into your 'plan a'.

HANNIBAL: How does it feel to play such an iconic figure as Marvin Gaye?

MANUEL: Playing Marvin Gaye has actually been so helpful to my growth as both a person and an actor. The bells and the whistles of it, the bells and the whistles being the notoriety of playing Marvin Gaye...people treat me as if I'm him. All of those things are great, but playing this role has given me such a confidence in myself and in my

ability. It's been a privilege to portray him and bring his life to the stage.

HANNIBAL: What would you say is your favourite role that you have had the chance to play?

MANUEL: I would have to say that playing Marvin Gaye has been my favourite. I've played quite a few characters. I've played Valjean in LES MISERABLES. But Marvin is my favourite. Partially because Marvin brings something to the musical that no other character does. He brings more depth, more realness and more awareness to the culture not only in the times then, but the times now. All while getting to say the things that nobody else gets to say to Berry Gordy. That is really fun.

HANNIBAL: What then, would you say, is your dream role?

MANUEL: I don't know if I actually is a dream role, but it has always been my dream to be in a Marvel movie! Now that we have BLACK PANTHER, on of my biggest goals is to book a role in one of those films. That would be a dream come true! Not only that franchise but also part of the history of that film. I think it would be so, so cool.

(are you listening Ryan Coogler?!)

HANNIBAL: Is there anything else you would like to share with the BroadwayWorld readers?

MANUEL: Yes! I would love to encourage everyone to come and see the show. Young or old, it doesn't matter what age you are, you will be tapping your foot. Everybody should experience the message we are trying to send, which is the message of unity. We are not all that different, though we come in different colours, heights and weights, different backgrounds, cultures, religions. It doesn't matter because the one thing that we all have in common is music. Our basic needs are all the same. We all want to be loved and to love someone. We all want safety. We all want joy in our lives. So, for a few hours, you can come and experience joy and maybe even get to know the person next to you with some audience participation!

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL runs June 19-24, 2018 at Place des Arts, Salle Wilfred-Pelltier, 175 Saint-Catherine St W, Montreal. For more information, visit www.MotownTheMusical.com

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