by Michael P. Coleman
“THIS TOURING COMPANY HAS MORE EXCITEMENT AROUND IT THAN THE BROADWAY COMPANY DOES!”
Over the years, Broadway & Hollywood have served up many productions that were inspired by aspects of the Motown story. Some of them (Dreamgirls, Sparkle) were hors d’oeuvres, whetting our appetites for the main course.
With Motown The Musical, that meal has finally arrived.
After wowing audiences on Broadway for over a year, Motown The Musical hit the road this summer. The show is based on Berry Gordy’s bestselling memoir, To Be Loved, and tells the behind-the-scenes story of Gordy’s life and his love affair with Diana Ross, with the backdrop of establishing what is arguably the most successful record label in history. The show features dozens of pop masterpieces, written by legends like Holland-Dozier-Holland, Smokey Robinson, and Ashford & Simpson.
As Motown The Musical rolls into the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, I caught up with Clifton Oliver, the actor who plays Gordy on stage.
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HUB: In the spirit of full and total disclosure, I was born and raised in Detroit, a stone’s throw from the original Motown studios on West Grand Boulevard. Not to put any pressure on you, but Berry Gordy is one of my heroes. Are you up to the task of playing him in front of me?
OLIVER: [Laughs] I love that! That only fuels my fire — it’s all good.
HUB: What attracted you to this play, and to this role?
OLIVER: I grew up with my family playing Motown at every family function — the Temptations, the Supremes. And my mom was just really into the refinement and the “polish” of Motown’s acts…we couldn’t go out of the house without being crisp and clean and our clothes properly ironed. The Supremes’ “Stop! In The Name Of Love” was my mom’s favorite song. So when I heard that they were trying to bring the Motown story to Broadway, I was immediately interested in being a part of it. I think that I was more attracted to Marvin Gaye, initially, because he was the “lost” child of Motown, the black sheep if you will, and I kind of relate to that — the pretty exterior with the darker inside (Laughs)…but honestly, I never thought about the Berry Gordy role when I was playing Marvin Gaye — I was too immersed in Marvin. I was heartbroken when I was let go from that role, and I didn’t even see the show for a whole year. But I finally sucked it up and went to see it on Broadway, and during the show it hit me that I was more suited to play Berry Gordy. So I started researching him, and I fell in love with Berry Gordy and his story and his life.
HUB: The reviews for the show have been mixed, while playing to sold out houses on Broadway and in Chicago. Gordy has often said that Motown has never been for the critics — it was and has always been for the people. What’s your reaction to hearing that?
OLIVER: Wow. I don’t even know what to say. That’s EXACTLY our experience. Our audiences in Chicago have been crazy. Normally it’s the black folks cutting up and acting crazy, but in this show you see everybody — even straight-laced Republican white folks — clapping, singing along, saying lines before we even say them…it’s great.
HUB: How involved has Mr. Gordy been in this production?
OLIVER: VERY involved. Mr. Gordy sat in my dressing room for three days straight and filled me with stories, information and facts about what really happened as he was building Motown. At one point, he even got a copy of the script and acted out some of the scenes for me! (Laughs) He told me that on Broadway, he wasn’t able to capture the true essence of Motown because it was so…rushed. Act two of the Broadway production was finished the day before the show opened. Mr. Gordy wanted this touring company to be like the original Motortown Review, like it was back in the day. When you came to see Mary Wells, you knew that she was going to sing as high as she could and dance as hard as she could. When you came to see Marvin Gaye, you knew he was going to be sweating! When you came to see Diana Ross, you knew she was going to be absolutely beautiful. That’s what we’re trying to recreate with this show — the true essence of a Motown live show. To really be honest, this company has more excitement behind it than the Broadway company does — I’m not saying it’s BETTER, but it just has more energy around it.
HUB: I understand Mr. Gordy was with you for opening night. What feedback did you receive from him?
OLIVER: After seeing my earlier performances, Mr. Gordy wrote two extra scenes for the play. There’s a new scene with The Supremes where they’re complaining to Berry that he had signed Stevie Wonder at a very young age, but he wouldn’t sign them. He says “You want to complain? Stevie plays 12 instruments, he can sing, and he’s blind! How could I NOT sign him? The three of you are pretty, but you can barely sing. Come back to me when you guys are ready!” (Laughs) That’s a new scene he wrote! I asked Mr. Gordy if it had really happened like that, and he said “Those girls came and pestered me every day until I gave in, and they turned out to be legends, my most successful group.”
HUB: I hear the chemistry between you and Allison Semmes, who plays Diana Ross in the show, is palpable. What’s it feel like to fall in love with Diana Ross every night?
OLIVER: It’s amazing, man. First of all, Allison is one of the most brilliant young actresses you’ll ever meet. You can’t help but fall in love with her — guys, girls, everyone who sees her falls in love with her. Mr. Gordy met this 16-year-old girl and he saw something in her the moment he laid eyes on her. He chases after her and she doesn’t respond at first, because he’s her manager, her mentor, and the owner of the company. Then she suddenly realizes she loves him. Mr. Gordy watches her go from this sweet little girl to the full…diva. It’s awesome to get to experience that story, to go through that every night on stage.
HUB: Did you know Allison before you started the show?
OLIVER: No. I’m the only one of the principle cast that’s new — everyone else was in the Broadway company. I was originally cast as Marvin Gaye on Broadway, and I was let go from that role because Mr. Gordy just didn’t feel that I had the right essence to play Marvin. I didn’t meet Allison until the final call-back for this role, when Mr. Gordy and Charles Randolph-Wright, the director, put us together. Immediately upon seeing us together, they said “This is the couple…this IS Berry and Diana”.
HUB: You get to play one of the giants in the music industry, while he’s still here to see — and possibly critique — your performance. Do you feel any pressure at all to get it right?
OLIVER: There is no pressure to get it right. The only pressure is to be honest with it. The only job I really have to do is what Mr. Gordy told me to do. Mr. Gordy, at the end of the day, is a true black man. He has a sharp tongue at times, and he can be sweet and very funny at times. He is incredibly smart — I call him “the computer” because he has so many memories and he doesn’t forget anything. He has extensive written notes, recordings, and videos from every stage of his life. Sometimes he goes off on tangents and you have to bring him back to what he was trying to tell you…
HUB: …well I do that, and I’m almost half his age…
OLIVER: [Laughs] Exactly! But the most pressure for me comes from the fact that Mr. Gordy isn’t there to help me every night. If he were there every day, it would be easier because he could help me be even more like him on stage.
HUB: If possible, I’m even more excited to see the show!
OLIVER: Well, that’s good to hear! See you soon! We’re trying really hard to do Detroit proud!
Motown The Musical is playing at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco thru September 28. Tickets are available at shnsf.com
Michael P. Coleman is a Detroit-born, Sacramento-based freelance writer. When he’s not dancing in the streets, come see about him at michaelpcoleman.com or on Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP
