Motown The Musical

Shortly after our Multicultural study of the March on Milwaukee in late March, I discovered that Motown the Musical was coming to a local performing arts center.  As it seemed so related to the topic at hand, I decided to purchase tickets for myself and my wife to attend.  The show turned out to be more than I expected.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Motown story, I'll provide a brief overview of what it is about.  Based on true events, the theme of this show revolves around Berry Gordy and his legacy at Motown Records.  Gordy was a young boxer that later became a significant force in the music industry and founded the label Motown Records. Some of the artists under his label were greats such as Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, and Marvin Gaye.  This show is the story of his life in music and all the struggles he faced in the industry.

For those of you that are familiar with Gordy or even recognize some of the artists names I mentioned, you'll know that the story takes place shortly after the civil rights movement.  Gordy founded Motown Records in Detroit Michigan in 1959 and it still exists today.

Oh, and if I didn't mention it before, Gordy was black.  That's right, a black man in the early sixties that founded one of the most significant music labels of it's time.  While on the surface, the show was beautiful and the music was excellent.  Many of the great songs of the artists I mentioned above were performed by the singers of Broadway.

But while on the surface the show was bright and wonderful, the theme had dark undertones of segregation, discrimination, and hated.  Although I have listened and loved many of the artists produced under the Motown label, I never realized the personal stance they took on the civil rights movement.  Often times we will hear someone like Marvin Gaye or Smokey Robinson in cameos on the radio with contemporary artists, or perhaps we remember some of their earlier songs.  Now I hear those songs with a different tone.

The struggles that they faced in the music industry had come to the forefront. During the early days of Motown, mainstream radio only placed music by white artists.  The music by Motown artists was only placed on stations that were intended for the black audiences.  Motown changed that and was instrumental in bringing black artists music to the mainstream stations.

Shortly after the show, we were happily surprised to find that the performing arts center had provided food and drinks for both the guests and the artists on stage.  This was a unique opportunity to mingle with the artists that toured the country performing night after night.  I had always wondered what their lives were like and how different they were from mine.  What I found was shocking.

It turns out, they were not much different from the rest of us.  The cast of the show was predominantly black and only a few artists that were white. I always imagined that the life on Broadway was one of glamour and fame.  What I found was far from that.  As I mingled with the artists over food and wine, I came to find that they didn't live this life of luxury and fame, but struggled just like the rest of us.

Most of them dressed casually wearing everyday brands of clothes, not the $200 pair of jeans or the $300 pair of sneakers that I expected from those that lived a rich lifestyle. So although they travel and perform and are loving what they do, they are definitely not getting rich from it.  The younger artists struggle with trying to balance work and school while the adult artists talked about life away from home.

As the show travels from city to city, I would highly recommend seeing this show if it ever comes to your area.  It was a great experience, and one that I would definitely see again if it comes back to my area.