Jesse Nager News

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.

Performances for the Miami premiere of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL begin Tuesday, February 2 for a limited one-week run through Sunday, February 7, 2016 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.

There are more than 40 songs packed into the jukebox hit machine of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, the latest show to hit the Saenger Theatre stage. That's a lot of quarters.

The Drama League of New York just celebrated a major milestone few organizations have achieved -- its 100th birthday! The 100th Birthday Party was held on January 11, 2016, at Feinstein's/54 Below, featuring cocktails, dinner, and a one-night-only concert celebrating The Drama League and 100 years of service to the American Theatre. BroadwayWorld has photos from the evening below!

The Drama League will celebrate a major milestone tonight that few organizations have achieved…its 100th year of service to the American theatre community. The 100th Birthday Party will be held tonight,January 11, 2016 at Feinstein's/54 Below (254 West 54th Street, Cellar).  The sold-out celebration will include cocktails, dinner, speeches and musical performances recognizing the history, achievements, and future of the award-winning arts education organization.  

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy are thrilled to announce that Broadway veteran Chester Gregory will join the First National Tour of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL in the leading role of Berry Gordy. Mr. Gregory's first performance will be tonight in Richmond, VA.

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, and Broadway at the National present the Washington premiere of Motown the Musical, playing the National Theatre now through January 3, 2016. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening night festivities, featuring Berry Gordy himself, below!

The ultimate question with Motown the Musical is not whether you'll like it, but how many songs it takes before you're moving and grooving in your seat at the National Theatre. With an abundance of classic hits, the answer is not too long.

Any music fan trying to own a copy of every record ever put out by a Motown artists would end up with a very large collection. Or, in this day and age, a very full iPod. Even trying to have copies of the just biggest hits of Motown would lead one to amass a lengthy playlist. There's no denying that Motown Records changed the world of music forever, leaving an impact on not only fans of the music, but also our culture and society at large. And like filling that aforementioned iPod, trying to fill a musical with all of those huge hits is also a tall order, one that Motown: The Musical, now playing at Providence Performing Arts Center, accomplishes with a high level of success.

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, and Broadway at the National are proud to announce casting for the Washington premiere of Motown The Musical, playing the National Theatre December 1, 2015 thru January 3, 2016.   

Besides the music, audiences will learn about behind the scenes of the Motown label.

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!

Broadway Pops International (BPI) presents I HEAR A SYMPHONY, Motown's Greatest Hits with the Sun Valley Opera & Resort in Idaho.

Broadway Pops International (BPI) presents I HEAR A SYMPHONY, Motown's Greatest Hits with the Sun Valley Opera & Resort in Idaho.

For nearly three vigorous hours, MOTOWN - THE MUSICAL provides one helluva show. More like a CONCERT rather than your typical book musical, this dazzling, high-octane extravaganza of music and dance is a visual and aural feast that gamely crams in more than 60 hits from the groundbreaking record company's discography. The story---penned by Motown founder Berry Gordy himself---may be its lone weak spot, but there's no denying how fun it is to see and hear this impressive cast of quintuple-threats recreate these greatest hits live on stage. The rousingly entertaining, exuberantly-performed stage spectacular continues at Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Center for the Arts through June 28.

Broadway Pops International (BPI) presents I HEAR A SYMPHONY, Motown's Greatest Hits with the Sun Valley Opera and Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley Idaho.

After several sold out performances at New York City's Canal Room, Daniel J. Watts (After Midnight, Memphis) is finally bringing his spoken word based contemporary revue-style show to North Hollywood's Federal Bar on Monday, June 1st. Watts commented, 'I'm excited to finally let LA know what they've been missing.' The project is co-produced by WattsWords Productions and 515 Incorporated, the production company of Vivian Nixon (Smash, Women on the Verge). The Jam: Spoken Word Preserves is an innovative spoken word concert led by Daniel J. Watts.

Motown the Musical, currently playing at the Buell Theatre, provides a bit of a history lesson for the record label, but mostly it feels like a really impressive tribute concert.