Motown Stunner Valisia LeKae Talks Raiding Diana Ross' Closet, Singing at Dollywood and Kissing Cyndi Lauper

May 20, 2013 – Broadway.com

Valisia LeKae, who steals the spotlight in Motown the Musical, talks about channeling Diana Ross, enjoying unexpected audience participation and her childhood in Memphis. Read More

Motown The Musical Sets June Release Date for Original Broadway Cast Album

May 13, 2013 – Broadway.com

The original Broadway cast recording of Motown The Musical, which features a slew of favorites from the Motown music catalogue, will be released on June 4 by Motown/Universal Music Enterprises. Read More

Motown The Musical's Jackson 5 Perform On Access Hollywood Live

May 9, 2013 – Access Hollywood Live

The Jackson Five from the Tony-nominated Broadway show Motown The Musical treat Billy Bush and Kit Hoover to a live performance on Access Hollywood Live. And do Billy & Kit have the dance moves to join the group? Motown The Musical is currently playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York. Read More

Watch: An Exclusive Look at the Swarovski-Embellished Costumes in Motown The Musical

May 7, 2013 – Elle

Diana Ross fans should know by now that Motown The Musical is one of this season's must-see Broadway hits. The show's stunning lead Valisia LeKae, who plays Ross, was just nominated for a Tony Award in the category of "Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical." And Motown is also in the running for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musica" (for Charl Brown's performance as Smokey Robinson), as well as "Best Orchestration" (Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook) and "Best Sound Design of a Musical" (Peter Hylenski). Read More

Valisia LeKae wins Theatre World Award

May 7, 2013 – Playbill.com

Theatre World's 2013 honorees for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance, the Fifth Annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater for an Outstanding Performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway Production, and the newly established John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre were announced May 7. Read More

Fashion and Beauty: Stylin’ and Profilin’ With Emilio Sosa

May 6, 2013 – BET

Clip : The designer brings his fashion flavor to Motown The Musical. Read More

Motown Man

May 3, 2013 – New York Post

Doug Morris, the chairman and CEO of Sony Music, has had his hands on plenty of hits over the years — most recently Justin Timberlake’s “20/20 Experience.” But few, he said, can match the intensity of Motown The Musical, the smash Broadway hit he invested $16.5 million in, which is playing to sellout crowds at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater. Read More

Motown The Musical has been nominated for four Tony Awards^®

April 30, 2013 – Tony Awards

Motown The Musical has been nominated for four Tony Awards including Best Actress (Valisia LeKae), Best Featured Actor (Charl Brown), Best Orchestrations and Best Sound Design! Read More

Corporate Sponsorship Is a Broadway Hit

April 25, 2013 – Bloomberg Businessweek

During a recent commercial break from the warbling singers of The Voice, you might have caught an ad featuring Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, riding statesman-like in a white Chrysler 300 Motown Edition. The cinematic spot follows Gordy, 83, as he and his Chrysler soar from his label’s original Hitsville U.S.A. building in Detroit to the Lunt-Fontanne Theater in New York, home of Gordy’s new Broadway show, Motown The Musical. Read More

Exclusive Photos! Get Down with the Sound at Motown The Musical’s Cast Album Recording Session

April 23, 2013 – Broadway.com

Broadway.com is thrilled to bring you an exclusive look behind the scenes at the recording session for the upcoming original cast album of Motown The Musical. The new tuner is currently driving audiences wild at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, with stars Valisia LeKae and Brandon Victor Dixon leading the cast as Diana Ross and Berry Gordy. Read More

Smokey Robinson: ‘Feels good’ hearing others sing my songs

April 18, 2013 – TODAY

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson is no stranger to success after more than four decades of hits, and his accomplishments are portrayed in a new Broadway show called Motown The Musical. He tells Kathie Lee and Hoda that it’s “amazing” seeing his life played out on the stage. Read More

Star-Packed Red Carpet for Motown The Musical

April 16, 2013 – BET

A part of American music history hit Broadway on Sunday and BET.com had a front row seat. We had our cameras at the red carpet premiere of Motown The Musical and caught up with Detroit legends like Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and, of course, Berry Gordy. Read More

Motown The Musical Opens On Broadway

April 16, 2013 – Access Hollywood

A new, bright light on Broadway is Motown The Musical and Access was there for Sunday’s opening night, which brought out the legends in this celebration written by Motown founder Berry Gordy. Read More

Starry Opening for Motown

April 16, 2013 – New York Post

Before curtain Jesse Jackson worked the crowd. Then looked to squeeze into his aisle, which was two ahead of me. Wrong seat. Wrong row. Rescued, an usher led the Rev away. Behind me, barely seeing through my shellacked updo, Sting and Mrs. Sting. This gent, who knows from music, swayed and grooved to the music. Smokey Robinson in a tux: “I knew Berry Gordy and Motown before stardom, before Motown, before Berry got famous. He was just a songwriter when we met. He was my manager.” Read More

Music Legends Galore Get Into the Groove at Motown The Musical’s Broadway Opening Night

April 15, 2013 – Broadway.com

Dozens of music icons hit the red carpet outside the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to celebrate the much-anticipated Broadway opening night of Motown The Musical, the brand new tuner that charts the story of Motown founder Berry Gordy and the birth of the sound that changed the nation. Read More

Get Ready...

April 15, 2013 – NBC New York

Get ready for a toe tapping, finger-snapping good time. Motown The Musical officially opened on Broadway, and all the stars were out to celebrate. Read More

Broadway's Motown Magic

April 15, 2013 – Wall Street Journal

Roseland Ballroom has seen some major musical talent over the decades, but the opening night party for Motown The Musical on Sunday was an event of an entirely different order. Read More

Berry Gordy recalls one night with Diana Ross that wasn’t a big hit

April 15, 2013 – NY Daily News

When we caught up with Motown mastermind Gordy at Roseland Ballroom, he was man enough to talk about a scene in the play where he wasn’t … man enough. At one point in the show, after Gordy tells Robinson he’s going to spend a night in Paris with Ross and “knock it out of the ball park,” Ross is seen comforting Gordy in bed, when he apparently failed to step up to the plate. Read More

Photo Coverage: Music Legends Join Motown The Musical for Opening Night Curtain Call!

April 15, 2013 – BroadwayWorld.com

Motown The Musical opened last night, April 14, 2013, at Broadway's The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46 Street). Many of the legendary stars that were part of the actual MOTOWN sound came out to celebrate the show, including the curtain call; check it out below! Read More

Berry Gordy on Motown The Musical

April 2013 – CBS This Morning

Record producer Berry Gordy speaks to the "CBS This Morning" co-hosts about the opening of Motown The Musical on Broadway in New York City. Watch Here

Smokey Weighs in on Motown The Musical

April 2013 – ET

Motown The Musical, written by renowned producer and record executive Berry Gordy, is getting a lot of buzz from early previews leading up to its April 14 premiere. One the great talents profiled in the show, Smokey Robinson, told ET what he thinks about his story heading to Broadway. Watch Here

Stevie Wonder and Motown’s Real-Life Mega-Stars Step Out for Family Night at Motown The Musical

April 8, 2013 – Broadway.com

A show like Motown The Musical doesn’t hit Broadway without a legion of music legends coming out to support it! In a special pre-opening event, label founder (and the musical's book writer) Berry Gordy welcomed a slew of stars from the Motown music catalogue to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre for a special "Family Night," which celebrated the artists, employees and family that built the legendary label. Read More

Sense, Sensibility and Elbow Grease

April 4, 2013 – The New York Times

When it comes to demanding clients, Diana Ross has nothing on Jane Austen. Imagine the pressures faced by the dressmaker Emilio Sosa, who, when he was not competing on “Project Runway All Stars” over the last year, was designing costumes simultaneously for Motown The Musical (now in previews on Broadway) and a new musical adaptation of the novel “Sense and Sensibility" that opens in Denver on Friday. Read More

Motown The Musical Cast Bring Classic Hits to Times Square

April 4, 2013 – "Good Morning America"

New Broadway musical's cast give "GMA" a special preview of the show. Watch Here

Brandon Victor Dixon on Ballin' with Berry Gordy, Meeting Oprah and Making Motown Sing on Broadway

March 29, 2013 – Broadway.com

Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon talks his new gig as Berry Gordy in Motown The Musical, his starmaking turns in The Color Purple and The Scottsboro Boys and why people don't recognize him at the stage door. Watch Here

Motown The Musical Features A Young Berry Gordy, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson

March 28, 2013 – Huffington Post

If making your Broadway debut at age 12 doesn't sound scary enough, imagine doing it in an iconic role. Now triple it. That's what Raymond Luke Jr. and Jibreel Mawry are facing. They're taking turns portraying a preteen Michael Jackson, a young Motown founder Berry Gordy and an adolescent Stevie Wonder in Motown The Musical. Read More

VIDEO: Bringing Motown to Broadway

March 27, 2013 – Wall Street Journal

When word spread that Motown The Musical was coming to Broadway, the big question was what would happen to the classic songs that defined a generation. For Music Supervisor Ethan Popp, the answer was simple: nothing. Watch Here

A Supreme being

March 21, 2013 – New York Post

Attention all aspiring Broadway stars: Valisia LeKae’s story will either serve as an inspiration — or make you very, very jealous. “I’m not a trained actress, dancer or singer,” says LeKae. “I was the first of my family to go to college [at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville] and was pre-med initially, then changed to psychology. I never even knew you could major in theater.” Read More

“Stop! In the name of style”

March 16, 2013 – New York Post

The actors in the new Broadway musical, Motown The Musical, may not have been born in the ’60s (or even ’70s), but the stars portraying Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson and Martha Reeves are definitely cut from the same cloth as the groundbreaking icons they play, with the help of a Motown-worthy wardrobe that is still smokin’ today. Read More

DIVA TALK: A Chat With Motown The Musical Star Valisia LeKae

March 15, 2013 – Playbill.com

Valisia LeKae, who made her Broadway debut in the most recent revival of Threepenny Opera, is currently portraying Grammy-winning icon Diana Ross in the new musical Motown, about the life and career of music mogul Berry Gordy, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Read More

Motown The Musical star Valisia LeKae strikes a pose as Diana Ross

March 11, 2013 – New York Daily News

Get ready — cuz here she comes! Valisia LeKae has plunged into her role as Diana Ross in Motown the Musical. In this exclusive first-look photo for the Daily News, LeKae channels the superstar in a Bob Mackie-inspired white gown with deep-diving décolletage and gobs of bugle beads. Read More

Meet the cast of Motown The Musical 

March 10, 2013 – Detroit Free Press

Before he landed on Broadway, Jibreel Mawry was making a name the new-fashioned way: on the Internet. With busy accounts on YouTube and Twitter, the Stout Middle School student loved showing off his skills as a Michael Jackson impersonator, including clips from Hart Plaza and the Boll Family YMCA. Read More

Motown founder readies for 'last major endeavor'

March 8, 2013 – Associated Press

For Berry Gordy, conquering Broadway is the next — and by his own admission, last — major milestone of a magical, musical career. Read More

A Shared History in Detroit Is an Ad Inspiration

February 28, 2013 – The New York Times

The Chrysler Group is bringing to life the advertising theme for its Chrysler brand, “Imported from Detroit,” through an innovative partnership with a coming Broadway show that bears the Detroit-inspired name of one of the most famous brands in music. Read More

Michael Jackson Hits Broadway! – First Look at Motown The Musical

February 25, 2013 – People.com

Raymond Luke Jr. plays the young Jackson, who, as part of the Jackson Five with his four older brothers, was signed by Gordy in 1968, when Michael was only 10 – the same age Luke, who is now 12, was when he started "studying" the genuine Jackson.  Read More

Looking Out for the Revelations

February 21, 2013 – The New York Times

The director who chose not to hire Valisia LeKae after her first theater audition a decade ago is now helping her shape the role he says will make her a Broadway star. Some rejections, it seems, lead to happy endings.  Read More

Classic Music Alert! Motown The Musical to Release Cast Album Plus Greatest Hits Collection

February 19, 2013 – Broadway.com

Fans of the classic tunes from Motown The Musical will have plenty of chances to groove along to those soulful oldies. The ensemble of the Broadway-bound tuner will record an original cast album containing new renditions of Motown songs featured in the show.  Read More

Berry Gordy Talks Diana Ross and Motown The Musical

February 19, 2013 – The Root

When Berry Gordy began Motown Records in Detroit in 1959, few people thought he would be successful, he now says. But decades after ruling the Billboard charts and cementing his place in popular culture with films like Lady Sings the Blues, Gordy is on the cusp of conquering a new stage, Broadway.  Read More

Motown The Musical has 6 of the hottest chorus members on Broadway!

February 13, 2013 – Time Out New York

Ephraim Sykes, Wilkie Ferguson III and Eric LaJuan Summers made the "10 hottest chorus boys opening in Broadway musicals this Spring" list. Read More

Lauren Lim Jackson, Ariana DeBose and Marielys Molina made the "10 hottest chorus girls opening in Broadway musicals this Spring" list.  Read More

Valisia LeKae channels the sound and look of Diana Ross for Motown The Musical on Broadway

February 10, 2013 – New York Daily News

For Valisia LeKae, who stars as Diana Ross in Motown The Musical, fashion reigns supreme.  “I love vintage clothes,” she says. “I’ve collected pieces for years.”  LeKae especially likes to reach out and touch — and wear — styles from the 1960s.  Read more

Brandon Victor Dixon, Berry Gordy and the Stars of Motown The Musical Strut Their Soulful Stuff

February 7, 2013 – Broadway.com

In a special press preview, Gordy showed off his talented cast of crooners and dancers as they performed a selection of musical numbers from the high-energy tuner. Before Motown The Musical opens on Broadway this April at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, take a sneak peek at this sure-to-be crowd pleaser! Read more

Motown The Musical To Offer Broadway Plenty Of Soul

February 7, 2013 – NY1

The behind-the-scenes story of Motown is heading to Broadway as Motown The Musical prepares for its previews next month. Last week, the company invited On Stage's Frank DiLella to take a sneak peek. Read more

Motown The Musical Taps Raymond Luke Jr. and Jibreel Mawry to Play Young Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder

February 6, 2013 – Playbill.com

Child actors Raymond Luke Jr. and Jibreel Mawry will take on the roles of young Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Berry Gordy in the new Broadway musical Motown, which will begin previews March 11 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Read more

Music takes center stage as legendary Motown comes to life on Broadway

February 6, 2013 – New York Daily News

Back in the day, the Temptations sang “Get Ready,” and that title is doubly appropriate as previews of Motown The Musical are slated to start March 11 on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Read more

From Detroit to Broadway

February 3, 2013 – Crains New York

Broadway producer Kevin McCollum should be dancing in the streets: He and his partners are paying for only one of the two Times Square billboards that will both be up by next month touting their latest production, Motown The Musical, which highlights the life of the record label’s legendary founder, Berry Gordy. Read more

Berry Gordy mixes it up with the actor playing him in Broadway's Motown The Musical

February 1, 2013 – Entertainment Weekly

In an exclusive video clip to promote the Broadway-bound Motown The Musical, actor Brandon Victor Dixon (The Color Purple) sits face to face with the big man himself: Berry Gordy, the founder of the legendary R&B record label that made stars of artists like Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Michael Jackson, and the Jackson Five. Read more

Brandon Victor Dixon and Valisia LeKae Feature in "Vanity Fair"

January 31, 2013 – Vanity Fair

Octogenarian impresario Berry Gordy, whose autobiographical Motown The Musical opens in April, knows exactly why Valisia LeKae was cast as Diana Ross.  "Valisia is Diana Ross," says Gordy. Read more

First Look: Motown The Musical on Broadway!

January 29, 2013 – TheGrio.com

Motown The Musical will make it’s Broadway debut this spring, and by the looks of things, fans of the legendary Motown sound are for a treat. Read more

Motown Exclusive! See Brandon Victor Dixon and Valisia LeKae in Costume as Berry Gordy and Diana Ross

January 16, 2013 – Broadway.com

One of the spring’s most anticipated new shows is Motown The Musical, a brand new Broadway tuner that charts the career of music mogul Berry Gordy Jr., and his relationship with the legendary Diana Ross. Rehearsals for the soulful show began this week, and Broadway.com has an exclusive studio shot of Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon (The Color Purple) and Valisia LeKae as 1980s-era Gordy and Ross, introduced here in full costume (and wigs!) for the first time. Read more

Broadway star Brandon Victor Dixon talks portraying legendary Motown creator Berry Gordy

January 15, 2013 – Entertainment Weekly

Not many people know that prior to founding Motown, Gordy was a featherweight boxer. But it’s just that idea that’s behind an EW exclusive promo image from the new Broadway show Motown: The Musical, which tells the real-life story of Gordy and feature hits from Diana Ross and The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and many others. Gordy will be portrayed by Brandon Victor Dixon (The Color Purple), also in the photo (left). Read more

Motown The Musical in Broadway's Spring Preview

January 13, 2013 - New York Daily News

Broadway works in weird, wonderful ways – and hooray for that. After the lackluster autumn on the Great White Way, we could all use some jolts of excitement, along with shows and stars to look forward to. Read more

Valisia LeKae is one of Entertainment Weekly's 13 to Watch in 2013

January 2, 2013 – Entertainment Weekly

LeKae takes center stage this spring as Diana Ross in the jukebox tribute to Berry Gordy's Detroit hit factory. Those are some big stilettos to fill, but LeKae's Ragtime and The Book of Mormon training should serve her well as she brings Gordy's muse and Michael Jackson's mentor to the Great White Way for the first time. Read more

Berry Gordy Star of new Motown-themed Chrysler Ad

December 20, 2012 – Detroit News

Chrysler recruited hometown star Eminem for a memorable 2011 Super Bowl ad that introduced the tagline "Imported From Detroit." The automaker is going back to that well with an ad campaign it launched Thursday relying on another homegrown entertainment figure: Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. Read more

Broadway's Motown The Musical Will Feature Charl Brown, Morgan James, Saycon Sengbloh and More

December 10, 2012 - Playbill.com

Charl Brown, Morgan James, Saycon Sengbloh, John Jellison and N'Kenge have been cast in Broadway's Motown The Musical, about the life and career of music mogul Berry Gordy, which will begin previews March 11, 2013, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Read more

Stars of Broadway's Motown research roles at museum

November 28, 2012 - Detroit News

It's not every day that Berry Gordy Jr. and Diana Ross stop by the Motown Historical Museum. OK, it was Broadway's Berry Gordy and Diana Ross who posed arm in arm for photos on the steps of 2648 W. Grand Blvd. Read more

2 lead actors and director of upcoming Broadway musical about Motown visit Hitsville, USA

November 28, 2012 – Associated Press

The stars of the upcoming Broadway musical about Motown Records have read pretty much every book about and listened to every song from that golden era of American music. The research only took them so far, so they decided to come and see Hitsville, U.S.A., for themselves. Read more

Broadway's Motown The Musical visits Detroit

November 27, 2012 - Detroit Free Press

Motown The Musical is getting a taste of the Motor City today. Director Charles Randolph-Wright, lead actor Brandon Victor Dixon (Berry Gordy Jr.) and lead actress Valisia LeKae (Diana Ross) are in Detroit for a whirlwind visit as the show sprints toward its spring opening on Broadway. Read more

Motown The Musical director, Charles Randolph-Wright, featured as one of DC’s Top Men in Arts, Culture and Style

October/November Issue – Capitol File Magazine

In a city driven by politics and policy, 14 of Washington’s leading men reside in a creative class of their own, playing a role in the advancement of the arts, culture and style. Read more

Motown stars, Brandon Victor Dixon and Valisia LeKae, on 107.5 FM

October 6, 2012 – 107.5 FM WBLS

The stars of Motown The Musical were interviewed live on 107.5 FM WBLS radio by host Jeff Foxx after performing at the “Circle of Sisters” convention earlier this month. Listen here

Get ready for Motown The Musical

October 5, 2012 – Caribbean Life News

Motown is coming to midtown. Glamorized, souped-up and ready to go, the Manhattan arrival is not a show about cars but a salute to the motor city and Berry Gordy, its most accomplished record label founder. Spotlighting the music that shattered barriers and shaped lives, “Motown: The Musical” is slated to premiere at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 14, 2013. Read more

Motown The Musical on "New York Live"

September 28, 2012 – WNBC 4

WNBC 4 "New York Live" co-hosts Sara Gore and Jacque Reid attended the Motown The Musical launch event and raved about it during an afternoon broadcast. Watch here

Meet the Cast and Creative Team of Motown! Plus an Exclusive Interview with Aretha Franklin!

September 28, 2012 – BroadwayWorld.com

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, based on the life of legendary Motown founder Berry Gordy, will open on Broadway at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46 Street) on April 14, 2013. Watch here

Motown The Musical on Clay Cane Live

September 27, 2012 – AM 1600 WWRL

Clay Cane is joined by co-hosts J'Nara Corbin, Damion West, and Mark Corece to review the incredible Motown The Musical event held on September 27th. Listen here

Tickets for Broadway's Motown The Musical On Sale to Citi Cardmembers Sept. 23

September 23, 2012 - Playbill.com

Citi cardmembers have exclusive access to tickets to Motown, the new musical about the life and career of music mogul Berry Gordy, beginning Sept. 23. Read more

Motown Cast Performs 'Get Ready'/'Dancing in the Street' at Broadway on Broadway

September 10, 2012 - BroadwayWorld.com

Kathie Lee Gifford hosted this year's Broadway on Broadway. The event kicked off the 2012-2013 Broadway season with star performances from new shows and long-running favorites. Watch here

Motown The Musical Announces Broadway Opening Date and Lead Cast

August 27, 2012 - The New York Times

Brandon Victor Dixon will play Berry Gordy Jr. and Valisia LeKae will play Diana Ross when Motown The Musical opens on Broadway in April, the producers announced on Monday. Read more

Motown The Musical to open on Broadway in 2013

August 27, 2012 - music.yahoo.com

Berry Gordon, the legendary music producer behind such acts as The Supremes and The Jackson Five, will have his life story spun into a new Broadway musical. Titled, appropriately enough, Motown: The Musical, the show will open on at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 14, 2013. Read more

Motown The Musical to open on Broadway in April

August 27, 2012 - Hollywood Reporter

Brandon Victor Dixon will play record label founder Berry Gordy. The Motown story is coming to Broadway next spring, with Brandon Victor Dixon playing the role of the trailblazing Detroit record label's founder Berry Gordy. Read more