Dancing in the Streets
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
Public Review
April 2010
As a schoolboy of the sixties and seventies I not only grew up with the sound of the motor city I allowed it to almost take over my formative years. A record collection covering every inch of floor space in my parents front room, all money earned spent on those records and tickets to see any touring Motown artist, as well as alienation from those classmates that actually liked groups such as the Beatles, the Who, the Rolling Stones.
So would a night out at Motown's greatest hits musical ‘Dancing in the Streets' invoke pride or disappointment. I half knew the answer before the show even started having seen it half a dozen times in the West End, but was this cast going to come up to scratch? There is no doubt they would have the ammunition available to woo an already ‘on side' audience but could they deliver?
Well it was nearly a 100% thumbs up from me, just a couple of slightly weaker performances along the way but if you like music, then you must like Motown and it goes without saying you will like this show.
My one downside on the night was the slight fuzziness around the sound. Assuming after all these years Ben Harrison has got the design spot on then perhaps it was just first night new theatre tweakings that were not quite there.
Our MC for the night, Courtney Buchanan, was the main sufferer sound wise as a number of his ‘luvvvv' jokes were lost via the clarity problem. But ‘who cares' when Sharn Adela delivers the numbers of Martha Reeves, Kim Weston and Gladys Knight with a soul deep satisfaction that makes a mockery of any sound system frailties and reignites the chemistry of the Tamla sound.
Robert Grose may not quite have the unique vocal soundings of Levi Stubbs but he leads us through an array of Four Tops smashes which within seconds have feet tapping, bodies swaying and plenty of lip synching.
Robert also is a main player as the Temptations burst forth and take the stage by storm, they are the most successful black group in history and, even minus a Melvin Franklin bass, we still get to lose ourselves in such magnificent numbers as ‘My Girl', ‘Get Ready', ‘Just My Imagination'. ‘Ain't to Proud to Beg' and the fantastic ‘I'm Gonna Make You Love Me' with Helen Kurup as our Dianna Ross.
There are many others highlights' with Nathaniel Morrison as Stevie Wonder, Paul Hazel as Smokey Robinson and, although not convinced by Ricado Coke Thomas as Lionel Richie on his solo or Commodores number, he comes together with Kurup for a wonderful version of Richie/Ross delivering, Motown's biggest ever selling single, ‘Endless Love'.
The ‘not to be forgotten moment' of the show though for me was the return of Morrison this time as the fabulous Marvin Gaye with a stunning performance culminating in the melodic pinnacle of the night ‘Let's Get it On'.
Carole Todd has stayed close to history with her choreography as has costume designer Tony Priestley.
Once hooked you will never wriggle free and this addiction means I am already down to see the Four Tops (just one original member Abdul ‘Duke' Fakir) and the Temptations (only Otis Williams from the famous five) next week and Boyz II Men (three of the big four still on show) a few weeks later. Sugarbabes, eat your hearts out.
My advice, get on the blower to the Mayflower today. This sound will live forever and if you are not a Motown junky yet you sure will be by the time you leave the theatre.
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Public Review - 5 Stars
Richmond Theatre
Steve Turner
The publicity promises us a show which will make us "Experience the energy, emotion and electricity of Motown, a spectacular celebration of the music that came from the heart of Detroit!" and it certainly does not disappoint.
The performance itself is a simple run through of the hits, held together by our MC for the evening, Courtney Buchanan, who introduces each act with a little snippet of information or a question to test the audience's knowledge. Thankfully, there is no attempt to shoehorn the hits into a storyline of any sort. However there is also nothing about the context of the birth of Motown, the racism of the day and the struggles that the artists had at the time. There may be those who feel that this is an intrinsic part of Motown music and so should be mentioned but I think that would miss the point of the show which is to showcase the music.
The band immediately capture the driving beat of the Motown sound which is at once familiar and yet still fresh sounding. The flawless pounding bass and drums hold everything together, with excellent brass, rhythm guitar and keyboards flowing effortlessly over the top.
The vocal performances, particularly the Four Tops and Temptations numbers, are wonderfully delivered and the slightly cheesy dance routines are skillfully handled by the whole cast. Carole Todd's choreography has clearly stayed as close to the original routines as possible, and together with Tony Priestley's costumes, provides an authentic feel to the piece. The only odd thing is seeing it all in colour rather than the slightly grainy black and white footage of the originals!
With each member of the cast taking their turn in the limelight, sometimes within the same song thanks to some inventive maneuvering on stage, it is difficult to single out any individual as they all perform so well, and with the help of some excellent wigs and costumes all look the part too.
With such a fantastic collection of hits to choose from, whether you are a Motown fan or not, this show will have your feet tapping and your hands clapping from beginning to end, and judging by tonight's audience it will have you dancing in the aisles by the time Dancing In The Streets is sung by the whole cast.
Birmingham Post and Mail - 4 Stars
Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham
by Pail Marston
Mowtown music roared into Brum this week with a breathtaking show that delivers hit after hit in a high octane programme that is simply stunning.
Celebrating 50 years of great music born in Detroit, it features a terrific all-black cast who emphatically recreate the thrilling atmosphere generated by those super stars of the past.
Carole Todd's razor-sharp choreography is another big plus as the singers, sway, twist and spin while belting out classics like I'll Be There and The Supremes' Stop in the Name of Love.
It really is a banquet of big names, with the likes of Steve Wonder, Dianna Ross, Lionel Richie, Gladys Knight and Tina Turner represented with For Once in My Life, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, Three Times a Lady, Help Me Make it through the Night amd Do I Love You.
By the time the cast joined together in singing Dancing in the Streets for the finale, the audience were dancing in the seats.
Directed by Keith Strachan with a great contribution from the eight-strong all white band, this super show runs at full throttle till Saturday night (Sep 26).
The Sentinial
Regent Theatre, Hanley
Stoke on Trent
The slickest production to hit the West End stage, Dancing In The Streets, has made it to Stoke-on-Trent. The energy and enthusiasm exhilarated the packed stalls at the Regent Theatre.
It tells the story of Motown set amid a background of billboards of its heartland, Detroit, and the history behind the artists of the genre. They include Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and more. Giving the audience a lesson in this influential music of the 20th Century, a compere guides us through the Motown journey.
What started as a few toe taps to Please Mr Postman soon turned into arms waving, shoulders twitching, raucous clapping and row upon row of dancing in the seats. It later spilled into the aisles with classics such as I'll Be There, Tears Of A Clown, What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted, My Girl, among others.
It was almost like stepping back into the Sixties. Every fine detail was covered to perfection and the mannerisms of each act were uncanny.
And the greatest cheers of the night? They were thoroughly deserved by The Temptations and Stevie Wonder who were incredibly accurate. Go see the show and you'll know what I mean. Appealing to just about anybody, Dancing in the Streets is definitely worth a watch. From looking around the audience last night young adolescents to mature older couples were accounted for, I defy even the sternest of critics to go along as I literally couldn't help smiling, singing and shimmying along with the best of them. And neither will you - you have been warned.
Dancing In The Streets is on at The Regent until Saturday October 10. For tickets call 08448 717649.
Kelly Edgington
The Gazette
Blackpool
Motown's appeal is still fresh
20 October 2009
There's a certain irony in the fact that these days there are far more people trooping out to see Motown tribute shows than there ever were to see the real thing when the first Motown Revue toured the UK some 44 years ago.
There's an added irony in Blackpool this week that if you did actually want to take the show's title literally - and trust me, many of the audience would have loved to - there's every chance you would have been mown down by the taxis using even what's left of the now limited pedestrianised parts of nearby St John's Plaza, let alone the area the council in its infinite dimness has allowed them and oil-dripping buses permission to use.
Dancing In The Streets doesn't pretend to be a definitive history of Motown music.
Instead it's a cherry picking of the biggest hits - encompassing the originally Detroit-based company's graduation from raw to romance and from doowop to pop.
Here the cast of 11 singers and top class band recapture the magic, the music and the choreography of The Marvelettes, The Miracles, The Four Tops, Martha and The Vandellas and The Temptations plus, of course, The Supremes with and without Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder from "Little" to giant, the imported Gladys Knight and the Pips and the post Commodores Lionel Richie.
Some of the tributes are better than others but all remind us just what a fertile time in black American music the early Motown label represented - and what better time to celebrate it than 50 years after its creation?
Robin Duke
Name: Jean South
Comments:
Have just been to see "Dancing in the Streets". Magical, fabulous, best show I have ever seen. If you are reading this and love Motown Music, but have not seen this how, you must go.
JEAN SOUTH. ACCRINGTON. LANCASHIRE