Birth Place: Chicago
MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL has wowed audiences across the country, and after an exciting run on Broadway and a national tour, the magic of MOTOWN makes its way back to the Nederlander Theater for a limited 18 week engagement. BroadwayWorld sat down with the lovely Allison Semmes, who, after two and a half years in the MOTOWN family, continues to sparkle in the role of Diana Ross.
The national tour stop of MOTOWN at the Capitol Theatre is another in a series of historic events for Broadway in Utah (recently dubbed Broadway at the Eccles, after its new home). Immediately following its final Salt Lake City performance, the entire production will pack up and move to the Nederlander Theatre in New York City for a limited 18-week Broadway engagement, starting July 12. This means that the performers you see here will also be starring in the show on Broadway, on the same set and wearing the same costumes. It is quite literally Broadway in Utah.
Motown the Musical returns to Broadway this summer, beginning performances Tuesday, July 12 at The Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41Street) for a strictly limited 18-week-only engagement through Sunday, November 13, 2016.
Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, and Broadway San Jose, a Nederlander Presentation, are proud to present MOTOWN THE MUSICAL in a one-week engagement at San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts (255 Almaden Blvd.) from tonight, June 21, through June 26, 2016.
That old idiom, "History is written by the victors" kept ringing in my head last night as I watched the National Touring Company of "Motown: The Musical" at the Paramount Theatre. Or rather one could say, "History is written by the one telling it." This retelling of the life of Berry Gordy and his creation of Motown Records with a book written by Berry Gordy based on the autobiography by Berry Gordy comes across like a jock in the locker room bragging about all his conquests. But with such bad writing and storytelling coupled with an overabundance of half songs the show feels like a bunch of skewed half-truths and amounts to a tepid and forced evening.
Manhattan Theatre Club just hosted its annual Spring Gala last night, May 16 at Cipriani 42nd Street (110 East 42nd Street) honoring Marie T. Gallagher, Senior Vice President, PepsiCo, Inc. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the special night and you can check out photos below!
Manhattan Theatre Club hosts its annual Spring Gala tonight, May 16 at Cipriani 42nd Street (110 East 42nd Street) honoring Marie T. Gallagher, Senior Vice President, PepsiCo, Inc.
Manhattan Theatre Club will host its annual Spring Gala on Monday, May 16 at Cipriani 42nd Street (110 East 42nd Street) honoring Marie T. Gallagher, Senior Vice President, PepsiCo, Inc.
MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL is a jukebox musical that premiered on Broadway in April 2013, receiving four Tony Award nominations. Based on Berry Gordy's 1994 autobiography To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown, it tells the story of how he founded and ran the Motown record label. It also touches on his relationships with Diana Ross (Allison Semmes), Marvin Gaye (Jarran Muse), and Smokey Robinson (Jesse Nager). Digging deep into the Motown catalog, the show contains over 60 songs. With that many songs one would expect a pretty thin book; however, by wisely placing most of the focus on Gordy (Chester Gregory) and Ross' relationship and the rise and fall of Motown, we are given a compelling portrait of both Gordy and the music industry. MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL is a celebration of the Motown sound… that sound that joined black and white America in ways nothing else has equaled before or since...that magical period in our past when we were invited to go dancing in the street to a brand new beat.
Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, and Broadway San Jose, a Nederlander Presentation, are proud to announce that MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will play a one-week engagement at San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts (255 Almaden Blvd.) from June 21-26, 2016.
As MOTOWN THE MUSICAL continues to tour all over North America, the success of the show is evident. Every city has welcomed the show with open arms and enjoyed the walk down memory lane with iconic figures like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. Allison Semmes has the privilege of being part of the touring company playing Ms. Diana Ross herself and recently shared with BWW her experiences on the road and being part of such a historic show.
This week, a high-energy combination of the Motor City and the Great White Way burst into Louisville with the current Broadway Series production, Motown: the Musical, at the Kentucky Center.
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: CSC's NATHAN THE WISE, starring F. Murray Abraham and Stark Sands, opens off-Broadway!
Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy just announced complete casting for the Broadway return of Motown The Musical, beginning performances Tuesday, July 12 at The Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41Street) for a strictly limited 18-week-only engagement through Sunday, November 13, 2016.
If you haven't heard it through the grapevine, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL has arrived at the Fox Cities P.A.C. Prepare to be impressed
MOTOWN the Musical could've been a hokey disaster that tried to cobble great hits together in some strained reach of a storyline, but it isn't. MOTOWN's plot is not contrived but completely realistic and heart-warmingly human. Baltimore and Motor City may be more like strained siblings than kissing cousins, but in some deep sense, Detroit IS Baltimore and this musical will resonate most particularly here, most particularly now. MOTOWN deserves to be not just a Broadway phenomenon but a part of our collective culture. It's fun, it's funny, it's sexy and it's full of the sort of hopeful commitment to brighter futures that used to be part of the American Dream.
Motown the Musical rocked into Overture Center in Madison on Tuesday night with an abundance of talent and energy delivering the memorable Hitsville, USA classics. This Berry Gordy biopic covers his life as a young boy striving for more, to a man borrowing money from his family to build a recording empire that changed history. The production culminates with the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of Motown.
'Brilliant', 'riveting' and 'astonishing' are only a few words our contributing writers have used to describe the local theatre scene. This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature the top 10 stories in Central PA, Minneapolis, Seattle, and more. Check out our featured list, which includes a 'brilliant' OTHER DESERT CITIES in Central PA, The Ordway's A CHORUS LINE, and a 'riveting' immersive ROMEO + JULIET in Seattle, just to name a few.
Columbus got their groove on at the Ohio Theatre on opening night when an iconic era of social change and racial integration was celebrated through soul, pop, and classic hits such as 'My Girl', 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', 'ABC', Cruisin', 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine', and so many more.
For Chester Gregory, the opportunity to portray the founder of the Motown record label, Berry Gordy, was the logical next step in his personal musical journey. "A lot of work has led me to this role. So, it is like a full circle moment for me," said Gregory, who plays Gordy in "Motown the Musical," set to be performed in Columbus Tuesday through Sunday at the Ohio Theatre.
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