Motown Records and its artists certainly made their mark on the world and its music, producing some of the greatest chart-topping songs from the 1950s through to the 1980s. A West End musical telling the story of the legendary label is coming to Birmingham this month. What’s On caught up with the show’s producer, Adam Spiegel, to find out more...
Think Motown and heaven knows how many famous songs spring readily to mind. From Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through The Grapevine to The Supreme’s Stop! In The Name Of Love, the Detroit-based record label scored hit after massive hit, year after year, decade after decade. Along the way, it routinely took top spot as the highest-earning African American business in the United States.
This month sees the arrival in Birmingham of a show dedicated to the magic of the now-legendary label. Motown The Musical celebrates the sensational Motown sound by telling the story of its founder, Berry Gordy; from his humble beginnings on a car production line to a career spent signing some of the greatest artists of the 20th century and beyond.
Starting with just an $800 loan from his family, Gordy’s passion for music and desire for success catapulted Motown into the limelight and helped to unite a racially divided nation.
“The thing about Motown,” reflects producer Adam Spiegel, “was that it made a considerable contribution to the changes that took place in the ’60s and ’70s in America, in terms of racial integration and some kind of equality. Suddenly, ‘black’ music was being listened to by everyone in the country, rather than just on ‘black’ radio stations, and that was a huge change. I think the stars of Motown became the icons of the whole country, so those same stars became the face of America all across the world.”
Adam agrees with the man himself, Berry Gordy, when he said that Motown was made to be on the stage.
"I think any music that makes people automatically want to sing and dance deserves to be on stage. Also, with this show, we’re in a situation where we’re telling the story of an iconic record label that changed the world - it couldn’t be more deserving of the stage spotlight.”
And Motown The Musical is absolutely the real deal: it’s being produced in collaboration with Berry Gordy himself, to ensure the story is as authentic as possible.
"I feel very lucky. We’ve worked very hard at it, and yet being associated with something like this remains a huge privilege. Being able to spend time with Berry himself is extraordinary, and it’s something that I’m enormously grateful to be able to do. But also, the whole team of designers, directors, writers, musicians, actors for the show have really been of the very highest quality, and it’s been lovely to be a part of putting Motown The Musical together.”
The cast and crew behind the production have plenty of fun making the show, but Adam is sure its Midlands audience will enjoy it even more.
“The more fun you have making something, the more fun it is to watch - those do go hand-in-hand. Working with the music of Motown is a constant pleasure. You walk into the rehearsal room and someone is going to be singing My Girl or something by the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder or Smokey Robinson. It’s an intensely vibrant and exciting environment. We have a great time doing it, but I hope people who come to see the show enjoy it even more.”
Picking just one stand-out track from Motown’s repertoire is a real task, but Adam does have a favourite: “There are over 50 songs in the show and it’s extremely hard to select just one, but I would have to say Dancing In The Streets by Martha And The Vandellas. It makes everybody just want to jump up and down.
“I honestly think Motown The Musical is the best time you’ll have in the theatre, not least because it’s a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the best music ever written!"
Motown The Musical shows at Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, from Thursday 11 October to Saturday 3 November.
Motown Records and its artists certainly made their mark on the world and its music, producing some of the greatest chart-topping songs from the 1950s through to the 1980s. A West End musical telling the story of the legendary label is coming to Birmingham this month. What’s On caught up with the show’s producer, Adam Spiegel, to find out more...
Think Motown and heaven knows how many famous songs spring readily to mind. From Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through The Grapevine to The Supreme’s Stop! In The Name Of Love, the Detroit-based record label scored hit after massive hit, year after year, decade after decade. Along the way, it routinely took top spot as the highest-earning African American business in the United States.
This month sees the arrival in Birmingham of a show dedicated to the magic of the now-legendary label. Motown The Musical celebrates the sensational Motown sound by telling the story of its founder, Berry Gordy; from his humble beginnings on a car production line to a career spent signing some of the greatest artists of the 20th century and beyond.
Starting with just an $800 loan from his family, Gordy’s passion for music and desire for success catapulted Motown into the limelight and helped to unite a racially divided nation.
“The thing about Motown,” reflects producer Adam Spiegel, “was that it made a considerable contribution to the changes that took place in the ’60s and ’70s in America, in terms of racial integration and some kind of equality. Suddenly, ‘black’ music was being listened to by everyone in the country, rather than just on ‘black’ radio stations, and that was a huge change. I think the stars of Motown became the icons of the whole country, so those same stars became the face of America all across the world.”
Adam agrees with the man himself, Berry Gordy, when he said that Motown was made to be on the stage.
"I think any music that makes people automatically want to sing and dance deserves to be on stage. Also, with this show, we’re in a situation where we’re telling the story of an iconic record label that changed the world - it couldn’t be more deserving of the stage spotlight.”
And Motown The Musical is absolutely the real deal: it’s being produced in collaboration with Berry Gordy himself, to ensure the story is as authentic as possible.
"I feel very lucky. We’ve worked very hard at it, and yet being associated with something like this remains a huge privilege. Being able to spend time with Berry himself is extraordinary, and it’s something that I’m enormously grateful to be able to do. But also, the whole team of designers, directors, writers, musicians, actors for the show have really been of the very highest quality, and it’s been lovely to be a part of putting Motown The Musical together.”
The cast and crew behind the production have plenty of fun making the show, but Adam is sure its Midlands audience will enjoy it even more.
“The more fun you have making something, the more fun it is to watch - those do go hand-in-hand. Working with the music of Motown is a constant pleasure. You walk into the rehearsal room and someone is going to be singing My Girl or something by the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder or Smokey Robinson. It’s an intensely vibrant and exciting environment. We have a great time doing it, but I hope people who come to see the show enjoy it even more.”
Picking just one stand-out track from Motown’s repertoire is a real task, but Adam does have a favourite: “There are over 50 songs in the show and it’s extremely hard to select just one, but I would have to say Dancing In The Streets by Martha And The Vandellas. It makes everybody just want to jump up and down.
“I honestly think Motown The Musical is the best time you’ll have in the theatre, not least because it’s a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the best music ever written!"
Motown The Musical shows at Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, from Thursday 11 October to Saturday 3 November.
By Lauren Cole