The Skinny on Motown the Musical Motown the Musical, presented in a group effort by Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris, Berry Gordy, directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, derived from the autobiographical book written by Berry Gordy himself, To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, The Memories of Motown. The musical depicts outstanding career of Berry Gordy and the rise of Motown Records. Motown the Musical left a lasting impression on me and all it encounters through the environments it is presented in, the outstanding acting, and the marvelous design elements. On the 30th of July, I was fortunate enough to see Motown the Musical which was performed in Fayetteville, Arkansas at the Walton Arts Center. The theatre itself was extraordinary. As I entered …show more content…
The costumes, who were designed by Emilio Sosa, were relative to the time period the play was set in, (1938-1983). They started out very simple and I did notice the outfits starting to evolve as the years went on to more sparkly and extravagant looks. The men’s costumes were warm, earthy colors with the exception of a few red, gold, and blue suits while the women’s costumes were colder and brightly colored in shades of pink, gold, and red. I remember one specific costume that the Supremes wore early in the musical. They were knee length, body hugging, and solid gold dresses. They really shined in the lights, making them memorable. To me, these dresses signified the Supremes evolving in their fame. The sound, designed by Peter Hylenski, was really impressive. The music was played by a live orchestra. They played loud enough so that even people in the back, like me, could hear them clearly. The actors’ vocals were live as well and was amplified with small lapel microphones. The sound was well designed and constantly thriving. There never once were any awkward moments during the musical because the sound kept it all …show more content…
Vocally, Gregory kept the audience alive with his “one of a kind” voice. He acted in such a way that I could feel his emotions. I could see how bad he wanted to pursue a music career when he was talking to his family about the subject and they were being hesitant. Gregory stayed in character and remained genuine throughout the musicals entirety. Allison Semmes, as Diana Ross also gave an outstanding performance. It was as if she poured her heart and soul into everything she did. She left everything on the stage. Semmes was the total package. She could sing, dance, and act. By the end of the show it was as if I knew Diana Ross on a personal
As a student of hers, I am confident in saying that she puts all of her hard work and efforts into her productions. Hard work pays off and thanks to her, the transitions between all scenes especially act two scene three to the finale were a great success. She did a extraordinary job casting the actors and hiring Abby Peterson Murrel as the choreographer. Abby did a fantastic job directing the “Waiters Gallup” there was so much movement and this song/scene that it is easy for it to become a jumbled mess, however she made clean, cut movements that is was a breeze to follow. Rudolph Reisenweber played by Garrett Johnson, the head chef of the overwhelming restaurant, was well placed. We see the first and second cook dressed in completely different outfits making appearances on either side of the stage while other waiters are dancing to songs in the middle. The choreography kept things interesting and the dances in a musical can make or break the performance. Overall, Cherie and Abby did amazing jobs directing each person to have a place among a crowded
As far as acting, the performers were able to convey the feelings they needed to. However, some characters such as Ol' Cap'n played by Dick Lambert and Luttibelle played by April Curry, seemed more committed and engaging in their roles than others. A crucial factor in April Curry portraying her role so well was her vocal talent far exceeded that of any of the other major performers. She had an amazing voice that I was dazzled by from curtain up to down and left me craving for more. This almost compensated for my disappointment when it came to the ensemble singing to the soundtrack. Many performers were dependent on the cd and were not confident as to when to begin or stop singing, which dampered many moments of the performers. Another element of acting that I enjoyed was the exaggerated use of cooning throughout the duration of the performance that brought characters to life, and enabled certain moments to seem real.
I could see how Harold Hill’s tactic changed from something along the lines of ‘to deceive’ to ‘to woo’ around the song “The sadder but wiser girl”. Marian Paroo’s tactic also changes from ‘to avoid’ to ‘to love’ around “My white Knight”. These actors also projected extremely well, as I could hear everything being said. They articulated well too, which I believe must be hard for them as every character had a southern accent. The actors easily incorporated their character’s goals into their acting and onstage
“We stuck to who we were at Motown, and the world came around.” Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown records relayed at the Occidental College’s 125th commencement ceremony in 2007. Motown was “the new voice of America” due to its great impact and influence on the music industry and society. Numerous events were happening in America at that time and Berry Gordy identified several of these factors to target the music of Motown and its artists to young audiences in specific ways. There were various social, musical and cultural factors that were critically important and of these factors, Gordy identified the segregation and the civil rights movement, the music and cultural aspects of the black community at that time.
The musical was performed in the Cumberland Hall Auditorium at Fayetteville Technical Community College. It
In 1988 Gordy sold Motown Records to MCA and Boston Partners, ending Motown’s era as an independent company. In the post-Gordy era, Motown continued to release hit music by new artists such as Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill, alongside veteran performers like Wonder, Ross, and the
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
"Motown Music - The Sound that Changed America - Motown Museum Home of Hitsville U.S.A.." Motown
Motown, of course, stands for more than just historic music. The label and it’s remarkable legacy is a reflection of the hard work of dedicated individuals overcoming incredible obstacles to achieve great success. Because Detroit, has long been known as the “Motor City”, Gordy in tribute what he felt like was the down-home quality of the warm, soulful people he grew up around, used town as a place of city. Which gave him the contraction “Motown” and the perfect name for his company and new label “Motown”. A man of vision, drive, talent, and determination, Berry Gordy is also a producer, innovative entrepreneur, and teacher.
...tly, the costumes in this production of Wicked were incredible! There were so many beautiful costumes! Many were very elaborate and detailed, while there were also various simple and elegant costumes. This was extremely refreshing to see as an audience member. The costumes always matched the characters’ emotions, which made the plot go along much smoother. I noticed that in numerous scenes the costumes were the same color as the lighting in the scene. I think the director did this on purpose to emphasize certain moods, but in some cases, a variety of colors would have worked better.
The birth of Motown music came to be in a small recording studio aptly named Hitsville, U.S.A. Barry Gordy, who came from a large middle class family had borrowed money in order. The main stage of Motown music came from a small house that had been remodeled into a recording studio, the name of the company was Hitsville, U.S.A. Mr. Gordy had gathered the best jazz and blues players in and Motown was born through his genius. This small but dynamic record company has produced and help make many stars that we all know today such as Diana Ross and the Supreme, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and more recently the Jackson 5, Boyz II Men , and Queen Latifah. It is very surprising that both the genre of Motown and Hitsville remind unharmed by racism for the most since Detroit has been historically known for severe racism and segregation. Hitsville U.S.A. was one of the first African American owned record companies, this was just one step in popularizing and taking a step for African’s Americans many talents to become well known and chart topping.
Berry Gordy's "Motown" had the largest impact on music on behalf of its direction and redefinition. Berry Gordy's "Motown" impact music through cutting across divisions of race, region, and class. According to Schloss, Joseph G. et al., "unlike the music of earlier black-owned record companies, Motown's music was not directed primarily at black audiences." Gordy is characterized
The Lion King musical is a well-known musical that has taken the stages of Broadway, West End and the rest of the world by storm (The Lion King, 1997). Regarding the process of the musical, Artistic Director Julie Taymor’s first thoughts for choosing the Lion King as the next big thing on stage, was classed as ‘impossible’ due to the film’s lack of theatrical material (The Lion King, 1997). Therefore, staging this particular work contained a great deal of uncertainty and the need for taking huge risks. Taymor (1997) suggests how ‘the Lion King was the worst idea possible to create a stage show.’ It has become evident that a number of significant barriers had to be overcome to secure the practicality of the production. In view of this controversy, this dissertation will critically analyse the success of the Lion King by exploring two significant aspects that have helped to make the musical a success. Firstly, the essential components that make up this theatrical production will be explored and secondly, the roles of each producer within the Lion King and their combined and individual influences they have had from the production will be evaluated. By analysing these two central themes, this paper will show how and why this musical has developed and achieved its phenomenal success.
Musical theatre is a type of theatrical performance combining music, dance, acting and spoken dialogue. Written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, ‘West Side Story’ is a classic American musical based on William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The through-composed score and lyrics are used to portray different characters and their cultures, the rivalry between the Jets and Sharks, and the emotions felt as the story progresses. This essay will be exploring the music and how effective the score is in realising the world and characters of the musical. Furthermore, it will discuss how Bernstein and Sondheim relate characters’ diverse ethnicities to particular musical ideas and motifs.