Berry Gordy News

I always felt that the Beatles' songS of peace and love had as much to do with the fall of communism as much as Pres. Reagan's 1987 Berlin prouncement, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall".

BroadwayWorld UK were lucky enough to go backstage and talk to Natalie Kassanga and Jay Perry about joining the smash hit musical Motown, currently playing at Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End.

The Wallis production of BLUES IN THE NIGHT, conceived and directed by Sheldon Epps, starts performances next week in the intimate Lovelace Theater! Artistic Director Paul Crewes snuck into rehearsal to chat with cast members Yvette Cason, Bryce Charles, Chester Gregory, and Paulette Ivory about this exciting new production.

Hot off the heels of his triumphant performance as Judas in NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live, Tony Award nominee BRANDON VICTOR DIXON will be the headliner at TDF's 50th Anniversary Gala on Monday, June 18 at Manhattan's historic Gotham Hall (1356 Broadway @ 36th Street, NYC).

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL presented by Worklight Productions is coming to the Palace Theater May 11 - 13 for four performances. Tickets can be purchased online at www.palacetheaterct.org, by phone at 203-346-2000, or in person at the Box Office, 100 East Main St.

Aside from the joy of living one's dream with a national tour, MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL is a production of historical consequence. The actors in the present touring production landing at The Playhouse May 1 understand its significance and the honor bestowed upon them.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL presented by Worklight Productions is coming to the Palace Theater May 11 - 13 for four performances.

Catch MOTOWN THE MUSICAL before it races away from the Hippodrome in Baltimore. If you missed it in 2016, flag it down before it's gone. If you caught it before, it's had a tuneup and is plenty worth watching again. Surely someone you love should see it with you.

Work Light Productions and The Playhouse on Rodney Square present MOTOWN THE MUSICAL for eight performances Tuesday, May 1 through Sunday, May 6.

VH1's Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta needed a new boss; Season 7 gets that and so much more with the addition of Keely The Boss.

MOTOWN comes to town and Trustus continues its run of FUN HOME!

Chess is coming back to the West End for the first time since 1986, opening at the London Coliseum on Thursday 26 April 2018 (Press night on Tuesday 1 May 2018) for a strictly limited 5 week season. The show will come without one of its previously announced cast members, however. BroadwayWorld has just learned that Murray Head has withdrawn from the production. A show representative explained:

Chester Gregory first made his mark in theatre portraying Jackie Wilson in The Jackie Wilson Story (Black Ensemble Theatre). His performance earned critical acclaim throughout the nation, including the New York Times saying, "Gregory puts on a show of such physical and vocal dexterity that it's almost impossible to imagine that anyone elsecould do it."

DETROIT MUSIC WEEKEND grows bigger, better, and bolder in 2018 with a huge collection of unique Detroit shopping and dining opportunities, multiple downtown happenings, and – of course – music, and lots of it. This blockbuster event is what the world expects from Detroit, and this June 14-17, the city's performing arts come together for a total downtown Detroit experience.

Columbia University School of the Arts presents ten new plays written by the Columbia MFA Playwriting Students of 2018. The esteemed faculty who have nurtured these students, including Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and Charles L. Mee, invite you to experience these innovative new playwrights.

The hit West End production of Motown the Musical recently welcomed its new cast to the Shaftesbury Theatre, where the show celebrated its second birthday last month.

Motown the Musical will embark on a major UK and Ireland tour in 2018-2019 arriving at The Bristol Hippodrome for a 4-week a four week  run from Thursday 10 January - Saturday 2 February 2019. Further dates and casting to be announced soon.

Motown the Musical will embark on a major UK and Ireland tour which will be heading to Manchester Opera House from Tuesday 26 February - Saturday 23 March 2019.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces the cast for its upcoming production of Blues in the Night.  Conceived and directed by Sheldon Epps, the production will feature Yvette Cason (Shout Sister Shout, Broadway and film versions of Dreamgirls), Bryce Charles (The Book of Mormon, ABC's "Black-ish"), Paulette Ivory (Disney's Aida and the West End premieres of The Lion King and Blues in the Night) and Chester Gregory (Broadway's Motown: The Musical, Hairspray and  Sister Act).  Blues in the Night will begin performances April 27 through May 20 in the Lovelace Studio Theater.

"Reach out and touch somebody's hand, make this world a better place if you can." With its incredible opportunities for audience participation, the cast of Motown the Musical did just that at their performance on March 7th. Stopping for one night in Jackson, Mississippi, the tour made the world a better place for the theatre-goers in the audience of Thalia Mara Hall.