The legacy of Motown Records is undeniable. Founded in 1959, the label catapulted the likes of Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Michael Jackson into the stratosphere and gave mainstream success to black artists in a racially segregated music industry. With a repertoire so deep and impressive, the music of Motown was always ripe for a jukebox musical. In fact, it is surprising one did not emerge sooner.
Based on the autobiography of Motown’s founder Berry Gordy, Motown: The Musical premiered on Broadway back in 2013. The musical sketches out Motown’s rise to prominence, as well as Gordy’s relationship with Diana Ross. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, the show is packed full of Motown classics, including ‘Get Ready’, ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours’, and ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ amongst many others.
The production reached London’s West End (Shaftesbury Theatre) in February 2016 and has proved a commercial success despite a mixed reaction from critics. Lauded by some as a joyous jukebox musical, others have underscored the low quality of the writing. Sadly, this review deems Motown: The Musical a failure in terms of both the writing and the music.
A musical based around the iconic and stylised ‘Motown sound’ was inevitably going to face difficulties. The first concerns the inherent concept of the production and the implications for casting. Only a truly sublime cast would be able to successfully imitate the Motown greats. Sadly, the cast (at least this iteration) provide a range of pale and depthless performances (albeit with high energy). Certain characterisations (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye) even border on parody. This is not entirely the cast’s fault. With a roster so huge – featuring most of the Motown ‘usual suspects’ – genuine character development was always going to be unlikely.
The script itself is laughable. The dialogue operates to either fill the small gaps between songs or provide a cynically hagiographic account of Gordy’s career. Perfunctory nods are made to the racial context which informed the emergence and growth of Motown, but this is treated with thudding simplicity. A specific scene demonstrating inter-racial harmony induced by the music of Smokey Robinson is particularly cringe-worthy. The hammy and hokey presentation of the Diana Ross – Berry Gordy love affair also smacks of lazy writing.
Of course, it was arguably naïve to expect much in terms of story and character development. Motown is at its core a jukebox musical, which the promotion never shied away from. Audience members looking for some musical nostalgia have understandably found their appetites well sated by Motown.
Yet, in this writer’s humble view, the production’s main weakness is its treatment and delivery of the music. A huge selection of Motown songs are tackled but mostly as vignettes, awkwardly shoehorned into the show’s threadbare narrative. Of course, the performances would never be adequate substitutes for the originals. Yet many fall far from achieving even a general likeness. ‘Shop Around’, a Smokey Robinson & The Miracles classic, is sapped of all its cheek and urgency. Sanitised and truncated performances of Edwin Starr’s ‘War’ and Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ also blight the production.
While there are cast members with obvious talent – the audience were deservedly effusive towards Rio Myers’ young Michael Jackson portrayal – many of the songs were not even competently sung. Pitch problems, poor diction, and lacklustre stage presence were rife (on this reviewed performance at least). The only impressive performance was the extended rendition of Martha Reeves & the Vandellas’ ‘Dancing In The Street’ with Vanessa Fisher skilfully riffing over the score. But one great performance alone does not a good musical make.
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Far from a worthy tribute to one of history’s most iconic record labels, Motown: The Musical strays into fancy-dress karaoke.
Grade: D
(Image Copyright: Motown: The Musical)
(The performance of Motown: The Musical reviewed above took place on Monday, 11th December 2017.)
