iTunes Exclusive Episode Motown The Musical

The following is a sooner orgator production.
The following is a sooner orgator production.
The following is a sooner orgator production.
The following is a sooner orgator production.
The following is a sooner orgator production.
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another to exclusive welcome my name is Robin never quite understand Motown Philly
because Motown was didn't differ right but that's me thinking again but I'm
not alone for this particular episode are 123rd one of these almost to that
125 mark joining me across the desk as he tends to do when we do these things
is a man who loves this style of music so much oh just as much as I do
that we even have cover albums of some of these songs he is my co-host he is
chat well sir yes we do also joining me across the desk is the official fact
checker of this show and a man might have been getting his groove on a little
bit when we saw what we're about to review but not as much as he did about a
year ago no two different Balkans you may know him as fun don't go but his mom and
even don't for them to call him don't for the welcome sir you allegedly have those
allegedly no I have them okay I have them I have them sealed soul and seal soul
too greatness 19 kinds of greatness and these guys play right next to men
yeah me tribute to Motown talk about me getting into it might my plus one Jason
salt man he really got into it what's it why we're here for this
not only when we do one of these is to review something this is no different
however we're not reviewing a film today we are reviewing a stage production of a
little thing I like to call Motown the musical it is currently in the Dallas
Fort Worth area touring around the country you couldn't be much more fresh off
a Broadway no less than six months after the Broadway production closes
doors after almost a two-year run it's in our fairburg here's what you need to know
it's the story of Motown I mean really don't need to go to the deep in that very
gordy we got the start of the thing it actually starts the night of the of the
broadcast of the Motown 25 special in 1983 and then goes back to Barry's child that
it works its way back up all right before we get we got to think uh city heavens
everybody at the ATT pack org at the AT&T Performance Center well ATT
former attack horn plus also everybody at the Winspir Opera House we're inviting us to this
thing and I love that room oh yeah that's a beautiful location those people are
even Cindy and everybody there they're so good to us it's practically my favorite building
in the city you ain't lying brother where do we even start 60 Motown classics crammed into
about two and a half hours with a 15-minute admission could there be something more up our
alleys no serious I can unless they called it Robin Chad's musical like outside of that
I was as I was as excited to see this as I as I have been to see anything we've we've reviewed
since we started reviewing things brother you ain't lying I was I was over the moon whenever I found
out this was coming to town and the first thing I did when we got when we got to our seats
I would straight to the to the rundown I'm like I want to know what songs are they they had deemed
good enough for this thing and you open it to that page you're like oh good god I mean I thought I
thought there was a lot of music when we saw dirty dancing no no no no no no no no no 60 count
now not all of them are played in its entirety some of them are stretched a little longer
because I'll be about five hours right but summer summer short and summer length and like what's
going on is lengthened which ain't wrong with that effect and we're gonna get to that here and very
effectively from a technical aspect I was floored uh huh and I'm gonna hold off because there's one
piece of this thing that almost took my focus away from what was going on because it was so often
but I'm gonna hold on to it done talk about how you felt about the presentation overall okay
going into this you know this is not my genre let's just get this play this everybody genre sir
maybe you may not go deep into it you're now which may not be as deep as Chad's or mine but you
just still enjoy the meal yeah there is some all time yeah totally it's just not it's not my
not your wheelhouse yeah wheelhouse compared to you guys you know I mean um but don't be wrong
there's some all-time greatness so I was kind of going in kind of you know open-minded on this
not as excited as you guys I'm gonna be honest that's what the yeah so we have
going through this thing though I loved the look in how they did the set changes the lighting
the flow of everything it was really good now I put in my written via the club ask podcast
to come that's our website you know I said this is a little bit longer than the average musical we
see maybe Bob about 15 20 minutes you know so I kind of felt I mean this thing definitely has
a might yeah it's linked to it I kind of felt that by the end but still song after song after song
which just brought back memories of some stuff having heard in years but growing up you know
there there though whatever you watch those you know adds as a kid growing up for those music
collections from John Denver to the you know any kind of box car wheelie but on all those
populations there's always someone from Motown in there oh always yeah I'm not gonna debate
because it's absolutely true yeah yeah there's a reason for that there's a reason that that
little house they bought into Troy was called hitsville USA you look at the the average film soundtrack
especially in the late in the mid to late 80s of films that were inundated big chill big chill
three dancing platoon uh and you go see it goes in for scum for scum in the 90s uh even clerks too yeah
has a jackson five tracking it became the soundtrack not just two of these films it became yeah
it became the soundtrack to people's lives there is there's just no music like it no like there's
a reason that every song in the background playlist for this we're not we're not getting funny
with it it's all Motown because I can it just and it was hit after hit after hit what you
like an embarrassment of riches as you might say I felt spoiled yeah I mean when you're at the
point where there's people in the audience yelling there's at one point when they're singing
you're all I need to get by and some guy in the background gone boy and people were clapping
for the guy that said you better believe they did I was fully expecting people to start dancing in
the aisles and it would not have upset me even if it was right in front of me wouldn't have
cared because that's the kind of music Motown is how many times as you find yourself just slap in
the rail of of the there were times I just put it through my hands up I could honestly okay okay
my mind just got blown again because one of my favorite songs of all time and I don't want to give
away how it's done is mercy mercy me the apology song that performance dear god man it it brought
you to your knees if you were standing up it would chop your legs off and Jaron news who plays Marvin
Gayle oh cured Lord you kidding me as much as I went off on Chadwick Boseman embodying the
spirit of James Brown this cat he transforms into Marvin Gayne we're all due respect to Jesse
Al Martin who should have played him in the biopic I'm just saying this performance I can't give you
top to bottom every performance in this thing and beyond the five principles we'll give you
there's three different kids that play Michael because the Jackson five are introduced in the Motown
and depending on what when you go it's gonna it's gonna change who you saw we saw Nathaniel colors see
you l-o-r-s that was scary he hit it out of the park like he hit it out of the park and for people
that don't understand it's very very difficult to dance and sing at the same time because of the
cardio involved this kid never missed a beat now my I will say this song breakdown of
room I know I'd say this the only thing that kind of I mean I'll be there got a little shaky in the
beginning it finished incredibly strong but it got a little shaky in the beginning yeah he sounded
a little unsure of himself which and you and I had talked about it and maybe that was what they were
going for I don't know because it kind of fit for what was going on because it was taking 19
no in the studio you know but he wasn't auditioning anymore it just now let's get to what I
kind of buried earlier one thing that absolutely I constantly thought was cool if you watch
productions whether it's movies or television shows from the sixties they did this thing where
everything was framed out and everybody was in these little boxes with the boxes were never all
quite the same size you know I'm talking about yeah they had these beans that did that and moved around
which I was like okay that's kind of cool until they turned into video wall and I said in my
written review at www.theclubhousepodcast.com which is what I wasn't gonna ruin it and if you're
not only if you only read the written review then it won't but this was freaking cool yeah the use
of video whether it was projected whether it was a video wall that drifted across the stage
when it just gave you a date or a location or it was yeah when they brought the contours
and did do you love me and you had the people that were basically dancing in silhouette in front
of the video wall were almost looked like they were in the video wall because of the silhouette
and they moved they moved with the video wall that was insane as like and the way they did things
like in the beginning were they were talking to different reporters they was switched sides of the
stage with the spotlight of the different reports that were going on and while the other reporter was
was in the spotlight the one that wasn't the spotlight was acting like he was still talking
the little stuff like that like I from a technical standpoint the band was amazing
they didn't overpower each other the the level of the scene they almost scared the
width out of me in the very beginning because those horns hit quickly before the curtain goes up
but like watching the very opening scene where it's the dress rehearsal for Motown 25
and you got the four tops on one side and you got the temptations on the other side and we're
going back and forth I'm like this can end right now and I'm still happy oh by the way I've got
another two and a half hours of this to do at least I mean it just you just wanted to just
get in the car and just put like a nine disc set of Motown and just let it play and something to
the kids this is a master class on music I actually said that all right when you go see this
at www to club has podcast.com that's our website he's finally getting it
kids sit down and go tell your parents you need to go see this and sit down and
and the best part is none of its lip sync now none of its can it's all live and it's all
brilliant you want to hear what real music by real musicians Josh tell her sounds like who plays
Barry Gordy has I wouldn't he doesn't have a real powerful voice but he holds that control especially
in that upper register so well yeah he controls the room you know when you have when you when you're
playing Barry Gordy and you're playing opposite somebody playing Diana Ross in this case
Allison's semis I hope I said that right semis she has to play a bit because if you're
gonna play Diana Ross you have to play it bigger than life yeah and she she she blows me away yeah
she was impressive just even when she just talked you heard Diana Ross talking I I can't wait
for I love you don't touch me you know I was the whole time I went in and never happened but
it's a wall that's all I'm saying I want to give a little testament you know he's
do that a lot of stuff is not on my playlist on my iTunes so that's you know that's just me
personal we can help you take care of that oh yeah but I'm just saying that this is really is my
personal genre but me going in there I knew about every song also just like you guys
even though it's not my cup of tea because these are so historic you will hear them throughout
your life that's like even I know that one even I know that one even not and that's the brilliance of it
I mean Barry Gordy had his hands all over the the the the forming of this thing it's based on the
book about him he could have easily gone obscure but even then I know we know what the people
want and let's give the people we want they give the people what they want and they deliver
ten times and I'll be honest with you not a fan of reach out and touch someone's hand
in this thing he loved it how they did it that's all I'm saying I'm not saying how they did
it was a point I was pointing at Jason and Chad at one point that's all I'm going to say because there's
some great audience participation you know but I didn't know I hate that brave I all
lost it I just said this cat I almost did but it just there's I can literally outside of
that that thing with all be there but again we don't know what that wasn't the intent there's
need to have nothing bad to say about this I will say one thing about the only thing I didn't
really like is how fast they went through the era of Rick James in the Commodore's they were
really not part of this even though you know it's the Commodore Scott what a whole
minute yeah but what you have to understand is by that point in Motown things were really
fleeting but it still and that wasn't that wasn't the meat of the story you just had to know
that these guys were involved that's my one complaint is that the story kind of seemed to be a little
skimmed over because there was so much music to cram in they didn't have they didn't leave room
for a lot of deep stories that didn't bother and no it didn't bother me but if I if I could only
pick out one thing to complain about that would be it that there wasn't enough story to be told
because we were focusing so much on how amazing this music was and how it important it was to
American cult I mean the Rick James was only in there for about a minute Commodore's about a minute
but it was funny they still should have gave them I think more time could still they kept the
train going and when Rick James comes out yes that happened that's all I'm saying prepare yourself
for it we kind of hitched our bets on that before it started like it was going to have you
what it did and it did and you know you got Tina Marie in there you know he's fan of and that
girl nailed it yeah and I also put in my room if you had to call us pluck out some of these people
they really sounded just the same as if it was the Stevie Wonder anybody yeah not just sounded
looked be it yeah all the matter I was and can I say I'm I this isn't really a spoiler but
it's something really subtle that you have to look for at the very end when they have the big
finale number that's happening during Motown 25 how Stevie's facing the wrong way the whole time
that was a bold choice sir let me be honest that was a bold bold move but I want to
remember wondering at the broadcast did that happen that way it probably did go back and look at
that but I've just got to say that the testament to the singing that I was these guys just like
remind me of the movie the doors of how Val Kilmer sounded just like Jim Morrison when you think
of these guys sounded just like and outside of your five principles you had people playing
multiple, multiple roles if you look in the market program it just it says through the majority
of the of the cast it just says ensemble ensemble ensemble because they're playing five six
different roles and playing them well very well and you're not going to say it I'm going to say it
if you're a fan of prince and if you're not I'm sending you to a communist country if you remember
when he did SNL what was that five six years ago when he was promoting 31 21 he had a young lady
with him who they called Tamar it's actually her middle name her first name actually Ashley Tamar Davis
it's in this thing and she plays Gladys Knight and as much as I'm not a fan of Gladys Knight's version
of I heard it through the grapevine she destroys it because you know when it comes or heard
the grapevine there's one version and it's more of a game that's this true but she absolutely
killed on that she also plays ester gory yes she does so I think she does more time playing
that than she does Gladys Knight but she's she shows her chops well there's not one member of this
cast that I didn't go wow and that's we all know and we can't get through this review without saying this
temptation saying no what I did which I think was Charlotte's beef she didn't get to hear that
yeah that was her only complaint but when you see people because there were people from all walks of
life ages creeds colors in this in this room and everybody's having a good time yeah it was it
it didn't feel like a musical it just felt like we were at a live concert that just happened to have
a storyline weaving through it yeah I wasn't dancing queen but I was even I was getting into this
puppy it was just saying a lot oh good I mean even the scene where they're traveling through
the south and playing the shows the two cops funny and who is the one cat that was just kind of
yeah from it was one of the guys in the I believe it was a musical it was it was one of the
peeking around the anything else you want to add before we get to final analysis here because
I could do this all day yeah I really could but the Empire's got lives leaves okay yeah let's just
get to the final analysis done anything you want to add yeah we got to thanks Cindy Evans
Cindy's so awesome yeah I think everybody had pack or get in her bay at the Winspir Opera House
for inviting us to this thing and it plays through August 16th Sunday August 16th at the Winspir Opera
All right now the final analysis here is a little different than the way we normally do it
because this is a stage production it's not a film so the first question is obviously the same we don't do
eight you know letter grades we don't do one to ten we don't do stars we don't do thumbs-up thumbs down
because our audience who we very very affectionately refer to as the Empire is better than that
two questions question number one will always be the same would you see this again if the answer is no
I think we've done here but if the answer is yes in the case of a stage production
the question becomes where would you want to sit what ticket level would you want to sit in
I think we can safely all skip the first question
anybody want to debate me no okay so don let's start with you where do you want to sit believe it
or not I would want to be center of the second level to get a center of you looking down
okay I get that I get that but don't be wrong if you could even if you can only get the fifth level or the
fourth level or on the side see this thing but I would I would think it be a good thing for the center
center level second section chat yes wherever I could I don't I love where we're sitting because
things happened right right you feed away from your elbow basically um I don't know if there is
such a thing is a thing you're like this person got a stop talking oh no they're supposed to be talking
because they're they're walking towards the stage because they're going to getting they're getting
on this day I don't care if I have to sit on the roof with my ear to the ground on the roof
that get me in the room I don't care I don't care if I'm in the front row I don't care if I'm in
the lobby watching it on a monitor didn't meet in the room for a finale for their for their season
I don't know if they could have made a better choice to close this destroyed it destroyed it
I I love this thing as much as anything I've seen and rumors of it reopening on Broadway next year
and heading to London to play there I think starting in February yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
this thing Motown the musical go go now go often go again go we somebody by August 16th at the
one's brought brass and if you ever take a plane because you missed it here to find it somewhere else
do that too it is that good it's impossible to oversell how good this musical is
because again who's not a fan of at least one song that has a note down and it's the sound
track it'll last 60 years and music that will live and doesn't seem to age it's it is it is
time isn't in the sky right now from what was it's 73 give or take and it still sounds amazing
better than anything you're hearing on the radio now brother you ain't going to hear me the
and I guarantee you right now I don't care where you are this happens
there's people on their feet I don't care if you're out of barbecue I don't care if you're in
church I don't care if you're at the mall I don't care if you're at Buckingham Palace there are
people throwing down right now hearing this after it leaves us it goes to Atlanta peace up eight
but it doesn't stay there very long it's only there for like five days 18 through the 23rd
of all yeah we got a long run here guys take advantage of it do so all right Joe I'm going to do
the plugs yes we are I don't want to click away from this all visit our website
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these could put pretty Paul anywhere in this thing I'm good and just saying
the preceding was a sooner or later production
why because I have to