West End Show Review - Motown: The Musical

If there is one way to enjoy the best of a particular genre of music, its having it all thrown into a musical whether it be film or on stage. My experience with motown has been pretty good. I've enjoyed listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, Diana Ross and many others and its just that sort of genre that just makes you feel good. So now we come to a musical based on the genre Motown and it never occurred to me that this is actually a record label. The more you know, eh? Anyway, let's get to it:

Based on the history of the Motown Record label, the year is 1983 and some of Motown's biggest stars have come together to celebrate 25 years of Motown. We then flashback to 1957 where we meet Berry Gordy (played by Cedric Neal) who begins a career in music and decides to open and run his own record label. Then for the coming years, he makes lifelong friends with then up and coming singers like Marvin Gaye (played by Sifiso Mazibuko) and Somkey Robinson (played by Obioma Ugoala). As well as handling the troubles of the Supremes.

This is probably one of the best shows I've seen at the west end thus far. Its fun but serious when needed. It makes you feel good. It plays a number of Motown's greatest hits from its greatest stars. And there's even a bit of humor in there. Not only that, but as I walked into the theatre, there's a wall of fame for all the people who have ever worked at Motown. Great stuff. 9/10