MOTOWN Recoups Broadway Investment Before Closing Night!
By: Nicole Rosky Jan. 16, 2015
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MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, the smash hit musical featuring the music of the legendary Motown catalogue and a book by Berry Gordy, will play its final performance of its current Broadway engagement this Sunday, January 18, 2015 at The Lunt Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46 Street) and will return to Broadway in a Nederlander theatre to be announced in Summer 2016.
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will conclude its current Broadway run as both a critical and audience favorite and a commercial hit, having recouped its $18 million investment at the end of 2014.
The smash hit musical's world premiere production that began performances March 11, 2013 marked the first time in fifteen years that an original musical opening cold on Broadway - without a prior, out-of-town engagement or transfer from London's West End - grossed more than $1 million for three consecutive weeks during previews prior to it's opening.
The production continued to routinely break the weekly gross box office record at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre with million dollar-grossing weeks and an average ticket price of $112.72.
CBS Sunday Morning proclaimed Motown the Musical "More than a Broadway show, a celebration of music that transformed America." The New York Times said "A joy ride! Something close to rapture spreads throughout the audience," and Associated Press called the hit musical "Stunning! Berry Gordy's story is a remarkable one. His songs are the soundtrack of America."
The legendary Motown family turned out in force throughout the musical's Broadway run to both pay tribute to the legacy of Berry Gordy and to relive the story of one of the world's most ground breaking record labels in history. The star studded opening night performance witnessed Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Mary Wilson and Valerie Simpson surprising Berry Gordy when the icons joined the cast on stage at The Lunt Fontanne Theatre to a roaring standing ovation.
The first National Tour of Motown the Musical opened to critical acclaim last spring in Chicago, grossing an impressive $20 Million dollars during its standing room only sixteen-week run, and is now playing major markets across the US. A UK production is planned for the summer of 2015.
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is produced by Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy.
Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, Motown the Musical is the real story of the one-of-a-kind sound that hit the airwaves in 1959 and changed our culture forever. This exhilarating show charts Motown Founder Berry Gordy's incredible journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and many more.
Featuring all the classics you love, Motown the Musical tells the story behind the hits as Diana, Smokey, Berry and the whole Motown family fight against the odds to create the soundtrack of change in America. Motown shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat. You can now experience the next electrifying chapter in the Motown story across the country in a city near you.
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL's creative team features choreography by Patricia Wilcox (Blues in the Night) and Warren Adams (Toy Story), scenic design by David Korins (Bring It On: The Musical, Annie), costume design by Tony Award® nominee ESosa (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, "Project Runway"), lighting design by Tony Award® winner Natasha Katz (Once, Sister Act), sound design by Tony Award® nominee Peter Hylenski (Rock of Ages, The Scottsboro Boys) and projection design by Daniel Brodie (Jekyll and Hyde).
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL features arrangements and orchestrations by Tony and Grammy Award® nominee Ethan Popp (Rock of Ages), who also serves as musical supervisor for the orchestra that reproduces the classic "Sound of Young America" for the stage, with co-orchestrations and additional arrangements by Tony Award® nominee Bryan Crook ("Smash"), dance arrangements by Zane Mark (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and music direction by Joseph Joubert (Nice Work If You Can Get It).
The Original Broadway Cast Album of Motown the Musical, produced by Ethan Popp for Universal Music Enterprises, was nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL schedule, ticketing information on Broadway and on tour:
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