Is New Musical Motown, Based on Life of Berry Gordy, Heading to Broadway? | Playbill

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News Is New Musical Motown, Based on Life of Berry Gordy, Heading to Broadway? A new musical based on the life of Berry Gordy, the famed record producer who founded the Motown label, is aiming for Broadway next year, according to the New York Post.

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Charles Randolph-Wright Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Gordy, who produced a March-April developmental lab, will also bring the musical, which is simply titled Motown, to Broadway.

Charles Randolph-Wright directed the aforementioned workshop, which featured choreography by Bradley Rapier and Patricia Wilcox. Randolph-Wright continues as director of the musical, which features the work of various Motown composers.

Characters in the musical, according to a previous Actors' Equity notice, include Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Little Berry Gordy, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.

The Post reports that Gordy is still searching for a librettist to write the book of the musical. He has reportedly met with Suzan-Lori Parks and Katori Hall.

A previous casting director's note read, "Because most of these characters are real people, although we are not seeking impersonators, we do want actors that evoke the look and sound of these music icons. Please research photos of those you don’t know and [audition] only [if] you believe [you] could play these characters."

No official announcement about a Broadway production has been made.

 
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