Motown the Musical - 2013 - Broadway Articles Page 2

The producers of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL have announced that Josh Tower (The Lion King, original cast of Ragtime) will assume the role of "Berry Gordy" beginning Today, June 17 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

The producers of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL have announced that Josh Tower (The Lion King, original cast of Ragtime) will assume the role of "Berry Gordy" beginning Tuesday, June 17 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

As BWW reported earlier today, America's Poet Laureate Maya Angelou has passed away at the age of 86. The poet died last night, May 27th in a Winston-Salem, North Carolina hospital while recovering from an 'unexpected ailment'. She died surrounded by her family. On her passing, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL creator and Motown founder Berry Gordy offered the following statement in honor of the African American and literary icon.

STARS IN THE ALLEY, presented by United Airlines, was presented earlier this week in Shubert Alley, between Broadway and 8th Avenue and 44th and 45th Streets. To add to the festivities leading up to the Tony Awards, the free outdoor concert in the heart of the Theatre District celebrated Broadway with star appearances and exciting performances from over 20 new shows and long-running favorites, accompanied by a live 12-piece orchestra. BroadwayWorld was there for the special concert event and below you can check out 'Supremes Medley' and 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered' as performed by the cast of MOTOWN!

'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.

Inside Broadway's Executive Director Michael Presser has announced that on Thursday, May 22, the historic Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street) will be visited by thousands of NYC public school students as the Great White Way's leading arts education non-profit partners with the Tony Award-nominated production of Motown the Musical to offer two exclusive Creating the Magic events taking place at 10:45am and 1:15pm.

BroadwayWorld.com, the most visited theatre site on the net, presents its newest, exclusive TV series - BROADWAY QUICK CHANGE. This newly minted series follows Broadway phenom Robert Hartwell on inspirational shopping outings, then into the dressing rooms of Broadway's hottest stars, where wielding his interior design chops, and extraordinary taste, transforms their home away from home, from the Drab to the Fab, the Blah to the Ahhhh! In this latest episode, watch Robert transform the dressing room of Krystal Joy Brown, who is currently starring as 'Diana Ross' in Motown on Broadway!

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL star Brandon Victor Dixon appeared this week on WLNY-TV's 'Live From The Couch' to speak with host John Elliott about working with Berry Gordy on the smash hit musical from the very beginning, the historical significance of Motown's legacy, and bringing that story to Broadway. Check out the interview below!

On Sunday, April 13, Motown the Musical invites fans to celebrate its first anniversary on Broadway with a one-time-only, free ticket lottery for the 3:00PM performance.

It is Theatre Development Fund's belief that future audiences are built by engaging students, first-hand, in the vital and exciting activity of the creative process, as well as providing opportunities to see live performances of great theatre. To that end, 1,500 New York City public high school and middle school students from 20 schools (and one school from East Orange, NJ), who are participating in TDF's Stage Doors Program, attended a special matinee performance of Broadway's smash hit, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL today, April 3 at 1pm at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street, NYC). BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the special event below!

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL cast members Rebecca Covington, Marva Hicks, Crystal Joy, Mykal Kilgore, Julius Thomas III, and Donald Webber, Jr. will appear at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center this evening when the Visible Ink writing program holds its sixth annual staged reading of unforgettable, inspiring, and hilarious works by patients.

'Happy birthday to you,' MOTOWN THE MUSICAL! The smash hit, which celebrates its first Broadway anniversary on April 14, has released a new montage of show clips set to legendary Motown classics from the musical, including 'I Want You Back,' 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours,' 'Get Ready,' 'Dancing In The Street,' and 'Do You Love Me.' Check it out below!

It is Theatre Development Fund's belief that future audiences are built by engaging students, first-hand, in the vital and exciting activity of the creative process, as well as providing opportunities to see live performances of great theatre. To that end, 1,500 New York City public high school and middle school students from 20 schools (and one school from East Orange, NJ), who are participating in TDF's Stage Doors Program, will be attending a special matinee performance of Broadway's smash hit, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL on Thursday, April 3 at 1pm at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street, NYC).

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.

As BroadwayWorld reported yesterday, the smash hit Queen & Ben Elton musical We Will Rock You is due finally to close on 31 May 2014, and rumors are circulating that the Tony Award-nominated Motown will open at the theatre in early 2015 to fill the void.

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy have announced that Clifton Oliver and Allison Semmes have been cast in the leading roles of Berry Gordy and Diana Ross in MOTOWN THE MUSICAL. The First National Tour begins performances April 22, 2014 at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago before continuing to cities across the country.

According to The New York Post, Broadway's MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL went uninterrupted after an apparent suicide, when a man leapt from the W New York Hotel on Friday night, landing 50 stories below on the roof of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL creator and legendary Motown record label founder Berry Gordy will receive the Visionary Award during the 2014 'BET Honors' ceremony broadcast nationwide on Monday, February 24th.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL star Brandon Victor Dixon performed live on national television yesterday morning on Fox Business News Network's "Imus in the Morning," hosted by legendary radio personality and Motown fan Don Imus himself.

Broadway In Chicago and Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy have announced an additional open call casting search for African American singers for the upcoming national tour of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, with a rare opportunity to audition for this hit Broadway musical at Ballet Chicago (17 N State Street) on Thursday, February 20 at 12 p.m. The first national tour will launch in Chicago April 22 - July 13, 2014 at the Oriental Theatre.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL creator and legendary Motown record label founder Berry Gordy appeared live on 101.1 WCBS-FM to celebrate the station's 50th anniversary celebration of The Beatles's iconic Ed Sullivan Show performance.

One of Broadway's brightest lights has joined forces with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition as National Spokesperson, to play one of the most important roles of her life, and plans to win!

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture just launched its first exhibition of 2014, MOTOWN: THE TRUTH IS A HIT. Featuring items that highlight Motown's inimitable founder Berry Gordy and the institution's most beloved musical acts, the multi-media showcase chronicles one of the most significant record labels in American music history. Earlier this week, the company of the show gathered to launch the exhibition with a special performance. BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities and you can check out photos below!