MOTOWN THE MUSICAL Previews- Page 4

[egghumor]

Posted: 3/12/13 at 5:23pm

I was making reference to another poster (in a different MOTOWN-related thread) that many audiences were "drinking, eating, and texting" throughout the show. I just assumed from their statement that eating meals openly will be part of the growing MOTOWN audience culture.

Perhaps the producers should consider raffling off a Diana Ross wig at each performance.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/12/13 at 5:56pm

Oh, maybe, 'cause my mom's not black, if that's what everyone was implying. But she'd wear the wig if she won it.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/13/13 at 8:43am

Growl,

No need to pretend that you're taking your mom to see this when you just really want to go yourself. I hope "mom" has fun though and she doesn't sing along too loudly!

[egghumor]

Posted: 3/13/13 at 8:51am

From Michael Riedel today... MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is discussed several paragraphs in...

Berry Gordy's 'Love Power'

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 3/13/13 at 10:45am

This show is definitely running too long at the moment. I work at a little theatre shop across the street and they were just letting out at 11:00...

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/13/13 at 8:39pm

I got my ticket with a code yesterday at the box office. There was a line when I got there. The guy behind me bought premium seats for the first night and was back to buy another premium set for last night. And that is all they and they are all buying them. it seems for a lot of performances. I wanted to go the week after next, couldn't get a discount seat until the second week of April. Dreading the audience.

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 3/13/13 at 11:44pm

"dreading the audience".

Then why go?

You likely know all the songs already and can hear them performed better by the original artists on recordings, and you likely know the book is going to be one hot mess.

So seriously, if the audience is an issue for you, why bother?

Since you already bought a ticket, I suggest an "if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude and whoop it up with everyone else. Cocktails might help. This thing isn't freaking Sondheim, after all.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/13/13 at 11:45pm

I think it will do well in previews (much like Baby, It's You, which was sold-out on the night I went). And then begin to fall off once it doesn't get many Tony awards, etc.

[Nick Murphy]

Posted: 3/14/13 at 4:42pm

Saw the show Weds night and think it's going to be a big hit. The cast are superb and it's great to hear all those hit songs performed so well. The audience really wanted the show and were not disappointed. The choreography is fresh, entertaining, and the numbers really land. Valisia Lakae gives a winning performance as Diana Ross and
Brandon Victor Dixon is simply wonderful as Berry Gordy. His talent and charisma shine throughout the show, even in the sometimes clunky book scenes. Speaking of the book, they should cut as much of it as they can, especially in Act II where the scenes drag the show down. But the songs and dances lift the show up by the end and send the audience out singing and dancing into the streets! It was really good to have such a positive experience after suffering through the dreary Kinky Boots on Tuesday.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/15/13 at 11:39am

Make sure you pack a proper picnic basket for your mother before she heads over to the Lunt-Fontanne.

You can bring the Spanish omelette!

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/9/13 at 5:42pm

Going tonight. Having the cocktails now! Didn't mean to sound so negative. Just based that comment on things I heard out of the first week of previews.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/9/13 at 11:51pm

Enjoyed the show for the most part. The ladies. Next to me commented and chattted the whole show. I actually missed some lines. They shaved some time off. Some songs have been cut and I assume a new curtain call as it was awkward and they looked really confused.

Tons and tons of talent onstage. Brandon was fine but it was Valisia LeKae that impressed me most. She WAS Diana Ross and deserves a nomination.

I really liked the sets and it really did flow pretty well. Just a weak book in a lot of places.

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 3:04am

This past week, the attendance at Motown was 103.6 percent (I've never figured out how that's possible) -- a higher percentage than any other show, including Book of Mormon. True, it didn't make as much money, but even going by $ it was one of the top 10 highest-grossing shows, with more than a million dollars of tickets sold.
"Baby, It's You," by contrast never grossed more than about half that in any given week, and hovered around 80 percent attendance.
So even the numbers here tell you the response to the two shows is very different.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 7:42am

The critics can hang it up, MOTOWN clearly doesn't need good reviews. But if it manages to get Ben and a few others, it will be a total sellout and run for years. And after the KINKY BOOTS review, you can never tell what Ben might like!

[ArtMan]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 8:06am

Since Hands On A Hardbody is closing, Motown is my next choice during Tony Week. If you go to Ticketmaster and click on Wednesdays (June 5 and June 12) there are no Wednesday night shows. Anybody know why? If the evening performance was sold out, it would still come up as no tickets available. The matinee on June 5 is my choice anyway, but just curious.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 8:48am

Numbers over 100 percent means standing room. More people had tickets than there are seats. This is addressed on these boards often.

Maybe now you can blog about it.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 9:26am

I saw this last Friday and thankfully anticipated audience participation. I have to hand it to the staff at the Lunt Fontanne trying to keep the audience in line as throughout people tried take pictures/video throughout the evening.

I thought it was very well done, but there was way too much music. I found that every time the Berry Gordy character was given an original song to sing, the show came to a halt. I found the Gordy/Diane Ross scenes quite boring.

My favorite number in the show was "Dancing in the Streets" in Act 1 and the Jackson 5.

And many thanks to the woman in my row to reprimand the group of woman behind us for singing throughout the show. Her words, "I came here to see the show, NOT YOU!!"

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 10:12am

"I came here to see the show, NOT YOU!!"

LMAO...That's funny!!! Did it shut them up?

[kyl3fong2]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 6:44pm

Can someone post the song list on here?

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 8:39pm

There are like 65 songs. Some were cut. Also I heard that Brantley is not reviewing it.

[kyl3fong2]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 10:33pm

65?! Oh wow.


Also did any of you see the Motown the Musical 100 Song recording that's on iTunes?

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/11/13 at 9:06am

Kyl,

The IBDB has a list of the songs, in alphabetical order.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 4/11/13 at 9:30am

The Playbill lists the songs in alphabetical order as well as opposed to the order (and group) in which they're sung.

[finebydesign]

Posted: 4/11/13 at 12:50pm

Critics were there last night...

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/11/13 at 6:13pm

The cut songs are still listed in the Playbill