Reed L Shannon News

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, and Broadway Philadelphia, are proud to announce that single tickets for MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, presented collaboratively by The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Shubert Organization, are now on sale forMOTOWN THE MUSICAL at the Academy of Music for a two-week engagement January 6 - 18.

I have no doubt that MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will be popular with audiences. It does, after all, contain the music that generations have grown up on, and it's still being played today. And, it's interesting that I was flipping channels on TV and saw an infomercial dedicated to the Motown 25th Anniversary special made in 1983 recently. That's the scene that opens the show, and where we first encounter the man who made it all happen, Berry Gordy. He's angry and doesn't want to attend because all his stars have left him for the greener pastures of other labels. This despite it being his own competitive spirit, and the fact that he instilled that in his roster of talent (songwriters, singers, and musicians), that created their desire to further pursue their careers in the first place. That makes for an interesting dichotomy that would seem ripe for the stage. So, why am I so disappointed? Because I wanted a real narrative (Gordy wrote the book himself) that doesn't gloss over important historical events while, at the same time, giving 60 fabulous tunes short shrift.

The Fabulous Fox Theatre is excited to announce that the national tour of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will play at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis tonight, November 18 - 30, 2014.

Broadway Across America and the Kansas City Broadway Series present Motown The Musical December 9 through 14 at the Kansas City Music Hall. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, the story of Motown is a true American dream.

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, and Broadway In Boston have announced that single tickets for MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will go on sale to the public Sunday, November 9, 2014 at 10AM. Performances at the Boston Opera House, January 27 through February 15, 2015.

The Fabulous Fox Theatre is excited to announce that the national tour of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will play at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis November 18 - 30, 2014.

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, and Hennepin Theatre Trust are proud to announce that single tickets for Motown The Musical will go on sale Friday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. Motown The Musical will play December 16-28 at Hennepin Theatre Trust's Orpheum Theatre (910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis) as part of the 2014-2015 Thrivent Financial Broadway on Hennepin Season.

Hodges & Hodges grooved their way down to the Orpheum Theatre to dance the night away at MOTOWN the Musical! The hit record company defined the sound of the sixties and seventies, breaking down racial barriers with a signature soul/pop sound that cut across the black/white divide at a time when segregation was still the law of the land. Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and the Temptations were just a few of the artists that made up the hit parade at Motown.

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, and Broadway In Detroit are proud to announce that single tickets for the Detroit engagement of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will go on sale Friday, July 18, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will play at Detroit's Fisher Theatre, October 21 - November 16, 2014.

'Motown the Musical' plays out like a veritable hit parade. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, this first national touring production showcases Motown Records producer Berry Gordy's greatest songs as performed by some capable onstage talent. The show makes for a lively and fun evening at the theatre but provides little in the way of truly meaningful plot or character development.

As previously announced, Clifton Oliver and Allison Semmes will star in the leading roles of Berry Gordy and Diana Ross. Portraying groundbreaking Motown artists, Nicholas Christopher will play Smokey Robinson and Jarran Muse will play Marvin Gaye. Leon Outlaw, Jr. and Reed L. Shannon will portray Berry Gordy's boyhood counterpart and the roles of young stars Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.

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: GLEE's 100th episode airs tonight, Angela Lansbury returns to the stage in BLITHE SPIRIT, Toni Braxton and Babyface join AFTER MIDNIGHT and more.