A Fabulous “Motown”

The classic pop and rhythm and blues songs from the 1960s and 1970s are brought to life in the rousing high-energy Motown: The Musical, which opened at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Tuesday.

The show is about legendary record executive Berry Gordy, who launched the careers of superstars Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and many others through his Detroit-based record label, Motown.

Gordy battles resistance from disc jockeys who are reluctant to play songs by black artists. As the stars on the Motown roster become more and more successful, they chafe under Gordy’s constraints and flee for better opportunities elsewhere.

Motown: The Musical begins and ends in 1983, when the artists who made Motown what it was all reunite for a flashy 25th anniversary show on television. Gordy is in a funk over what he considers the betrayal of his stars. But despite all the heartbreak, the music endures.

Josh Tower plays Gordy as an extremely ambitious and controlling man who developed an infatuation with Ross, who eclipsed her fellow singers in the Supremes and became a hugely successful solo artist.
Tower displayed soaring vocals on the ballad “Can I Close the Door” written by Gordy for the show.

Allison Semmes captures the larger-than-life personality of Ross and has a fun moment when she steps off the stage and solicits singing partners for “Reach Out and Touch.”

The appearance of a young Michael Jackson with his brothers in the Jackson Five was another highlight as they sang a medley of hits including “ABC” and “I Want You Back.”

Jarran Muse, as Gaye, was a charismatic presence as he sang “What’s Going On” and “Mercy Mercy Me.” It was a reminder of how Gaye infused his music with social consciousness.

The Temptations, the Four Tops, the Commodores, and Martha and the Vandellas all had hit songs with Motown. Their music bridged the racial divide and served as a soothing escape from a country dealing with the assassinations of Martin Luther King and President John F. Kennedy.

The technical aspects of the show, including the costumes, lighting and musical direction, were all superb.

Motown: The Musical captures the joy and the elegance of music in the 1960s and shows how many talented performers emerged from that era. This is a musical with a lot of heart and soul.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL runs through November 8. Tickets will be available at the PPAC Box Office (located at 220 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence), by phone at 401-421-ARTS (2787), and online at www.ppacri.org