#26
Posted: 4/14/13 at 10:45pm
Didn't say it wasn't expected...the degree to which it's getting crapped on is notable though. Every single critic has shat on it, so I thought it was worth mentioning as a common thread in the notices.
NY Post is mixed with two and a half stars out of four:
"Here’s what a $150 orchestra seat gets you at “Motown: The Musical”: bargain-basement sets, basic choreography performed merely adequately, and laughable dialogue.
But then there are the songs: thrilling, unimpeachable, familiar yet still completely fresh. They fill the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in a huge, giddy rush — and number a whopping 59, though most are shortened.
...
The show fares best with the music, which is usually spot-on. The engaging actors work hard to overcome the constraints of imitation. Despite being onstage for just a few minutes, the electrifying N’Kenge (Mary Wells) and Eric LaJuan Summers (as Jackie Wilson, Contours singer Billy Gordon and Rick James) make lasting impressions.
All are bolstered by Peter Hylenski’s excellent sound design, a rarity on Broadway. Loud but crisp, it’s a perfect match for the large orchestra’s explosive brass and driving rhythms."
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/lots_of_soul_tells_slim_story_iCCfxdQccWBsqkgzvABK0I?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Theater
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NY Daily News is mixed with three out of five stars:
"There’s no shortage of great tunes from which to choose. And if a batch of catchy classics with tasty harmonies and cool grooves like “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Stop in the Name of Love,” “My Girl” and “ABC” were enough to make a jukebox musical click, the show would be an automatic hit. But it takes more. While the music catalog runs deep, the story is shallow. The book, penned by Gordy, who also produced the show, suffers from being sketchy, earnest and sometimes corny."
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/motown-musical-theater-review-article-1.1315324#ixzz2QUvRrzVJ
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USA Today is mixed with two and a half out of four stars:
"All of these assets are confirmed in the show — which was written, incidentally, by Gordy himself, based on his book To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, The Memories of Motown. The result, which opened Sunday at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, is a lengthy, (two hours and 40 minutes, with intermission), often clumsy valentine to the man and the many great artists and songs that are his legacy.
...
As with most jukebox musicals, none of the performances rival the original recordings. Still, if you can get through the spoken part, Motown offers the best musical nostalgia trip in town."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/04/14/motown-gives-you-that-sweet-soul-music/2082175/
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Newsday is mixed:
"And his book, though clunky and schematic and much too long, is not entirely a cornball tribute to his noble self. Despite the fine Brandon Victor Dixon as Gordy, we don't feel much of anything for the impresario and sometimes songwriter who, inspired as a kid by black boxing champ Joe Louis, borrows $800 from his loving family in Detroit and builds a music empire.
...
Also to his credit, Gordy and director Charles Randolph-Wright haven't just cast sound-alikes or look-alikes to play the dozens of stars, which keeps this from being another wax museum of depressing clones. Valisia LeKae doesn't look a bit like Diana Ross, Gordy's teen protégé and later lover, but her style feels right. Charl Brown has the lyric sweetness of Smokey Robinson. Bryan Terrell Clark is powerfully insinuating as Marvin Gaye. N'Kenge has such big lungs and attitude as Mary Wells that we regret she disappears early in the show."
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/motown-the-musical-review-bitter-berry-1.5063227
NY Post is mixed with two and a half stars out of four:
"Here’s what a $150 orchestra seat gets you at “Motown: The Musical”: bargain-basement sets, basic choreography performed merely adequately, and laughable dialogue.
But then there are the songs: thrilling, unimpeachable, familiar yet still completely fresh. They fill the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in a huge, giddy rush — and number a whopping 59, though most are shortened.
...
The show fares best with the music, which is usually spot-on. The engaging actors work hard to overcome the constraints of imitation. Despite being onstage for just a few minutes, the electrifying N’Kenge (Mary Wells) and Eric LaJuan Summers (as Jackie Wilson, Contours singer Billy Gordon and Rick James) make lasting impressions.
All are bolstered by Peter Hylenski’s excellent sound design, a rarity on Broadway. Loud but crisp, it’s a perfect match for the large orchestra’s explosive brass and driving rhythms."
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/lots_of_soul_tells_slim_story_iCCfxdQccWBsqkgzvABK0I?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Theater
----
NY Daily News is mixed with three out of five stars:
"There’s no shortage of great tunes from which to choose. And if a batch of catchy classics with tasty harmonies and cool grooves like “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Stop in the Name of Love,” “My Girl” and “ABC” were enough to make a jukebox musical click, the show would be an automatic hit. But it takes more. While the music catalog runs deep, the story is shallow. The book, penned by Gordy, who also produced the show, suffers from being sketchy, earnest and sometimes corny."
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/motown-musical-theater-review-article-1.1315324#ixzz2QUvRrzVJ
----
USA Today is mixed with two and a half out of four stars:
"All of these assets are confirmed in the show — which was written, incidentally, by Gordy himself, based on his book To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, The Memories of Motown. The result, which opened Sunday at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, is a lengthy, (two hours and 40 minutes, with intermission), often clumsy valentine to the man and the many great artists and songs that are his legacy.
...
As with most jukebox musicals, none of the performances rival the original recordings. Still, if you can get through the spoken part, Motown offers the best musical nostalgia trip in town."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/04/14/motown-gives-you-that-sweet-soul-music/2082175/
----
Newsday is mixed:
"And his book, though clunky and schematic and much too long, is not entirely a cornball tribute to his noble self. Despite the fine Brandon Victor Dixon as Gordy, we don't feel much of anything for the impresario and sometimes songwriter who, inspired as a kid by black boxing champ Joe Louis, borrows $800 from his loving family in Detroit and builds a music empire.
...
Also to his credit, Gordy and director Charles Randolph-Wright haven't just cast sound-alikes or look-alikes to play the dozens of stars, which keeps this from being another wax museum of depressing clones. Valisia LeKae doesn't look a bit like Diana Ross, Gordy's teen protégé and later lover, but her style feels right. Charl Brown has the lyric sweetness of Smokey Robinson. Bryan Terrell Clark is powerfully insinuating as Marvin Gaye. N'Kenge has such big lungs and attitude as Mary Wells that we regret she disappears early in the show."
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/motown-the-musical-review-bitter-berry-1.5063227
Updated On: 4/15/13 at 10:45 PM
