'Motown: The Musical' Opens To Rave Reviews In Detroit
DETROIT (WWJ) - The stars of Motown and music lovers alike can't stop talking about the Detroit premiere of "Motown: The Musical."
The musical opened Wednesday night at the Fisher Theatre. It tells the true story of Motown founder Berry Gordy's journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul, launching the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more.
Gordy had a hard time hiding his enthusiasm while walking the red carpet -- he was just beaming at the premiere.
"It feels incredible," Gordy told WWJ's Vickie Thomas. "It's full circle, you know, I started here, I was bread here, I was born here. I got the energy of Detroit and all the people in the cast feel that Detroit is somehow magic, and it is."
Another star walking the red carpet was Stevie Wonder, talking about the magic of Motown and how it might just bring him back to Detroit.
"If the spirit says to me that I really need to consider coming back, living here and running for mayor, I'll do that," he said. "Again, we have to have the heart. It's about the heart, it's not about the money, it's not about some fake political ideas -- it's about the people and the heart."
The Miracles singer Claudette Robinson said she felt honored to be able to attend the premiere.
"Having this musical happen now is such a blessing for all of us who fortunately happen to still be alive because unfortunately, we lost so many members. Two of the members of my Miracles are already deceased and they did not get an opportunity to see this," she said. "So, I stand for them and as The Miracles being the very first group, Mr. Gordy giving me the title of First Lady of Motown."
Pastor Marvin Winans of Perfecting Church was among those in the audience. He said moments in the musical literally transported him through time.
"It was very well written. It's so much music, so much heart, but when they were taking, Motown was moving to California, I felt that all over again. Growing up in Detroit, it was painful," he said.
Detroiter Hennie Major gave the performance two thumbs up.
"It was fantastic. What I like the most was just to see them portrayed, the life and the legacy of Barry Gordy. It was just awesome," she said.
Lisa Falco of Huntington Woods said she was blown away by the musical.
"It was fabulous," she said. "It was just overwhelming to be here and see all the celebrities."
Jim McFarland, a freelance entertainment reporter, said the magic was undeniable.
"I saw the show in Chicago and I wrote about it for BLAC Detroit Magazine, but they brought their A-game tonight," he said. "This was better, a much better performance than I saw in Chicago. I think they knew they had a lot of people here, there were big stakes to pay today."
"Motown: The Musical" runs through November 16 at the Fisher Theater. For more information, visit www.motownthemusical.com.
