Urban World

Dancing in the Streets

“You know, there's a lotta great music out there to dance to. Depending on your own predilections, you can bang heads with heavy rock, hippity-hop with hip-hop, grind your teeth with grunge, rock your bones with rock ‘n'n roll, or cool your boots with psychedelia or jazz. Yep, a lotta kinds of music, with a lotta body. But only one with soul.” – John Good

The Motown phenomenon was Berry Gordy's ‘American Dream', set up with just $7.000. Not bad for a record company that gave the world an entirely new and unique sound. A whole generation of black performers were born and made famous from this Detroit label including Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson and many many more. The overflowing catalogue of hits produced by these artists is brought to the Churchill Theatre Bromley this week. If you want a great evening out, with plenty of music to tap your foot to or if you're like me and tapping just isn't enough and you would want to get up and dance – then this show is the one for you.

There is no story line to the production; it is like a concert at the Apollo with Motown line-ups led by our very own MC and guide for the night played by Courtney Buchanan. He breaks us into the evening with a song which is quickly followed by Motown's first hit by the Marvelettes, ‘Please Mr Postman.”

This is an evening of Nostalgia, you will rekindle your love for some of the greatest artists that ever lived. You will enjoy ‘You can't hurry love' ‘Tears of a clown' and ‘What becomes of the broken hearted.' Not to mention the resemblance of some of the artistes playing their legends is uncanny. Nathaniel Morrison gave a chillingly perfect performance as Stevie Wonder, adopting his mannerisms – the childlike innocence full of smiles and the swaying head. And if that wasn't enough to make you believe you were seeing Stevie in Bromley – his voice was a perfect match.

The eight piece band and company of eleven really gave an evening to remember. It was more than just a tribute concert; it was done with style and excellence. The flamboyant silk shirts and suits worn by The Temptations and The Four-tops was recreated, the fur-top dresses worn by Diana Ross and The Supremes all added to the glamour of the evening. The boy-band choreography and signature moves by the legends were all recreated for us to enjoy and savour. The audience particularly loved the uniformity of the choreography to ‘My girl.'

The MC's narration sustained the two hour set and made the transitions between each hit smooth. He gave us insight and history into the label and its artists while providing comic relief for the audience – relating some of the songs to his four ex-wives and current fiancé!

Not all of the artistes sounded like their legends even if they did adopt their mannerisms. Helen Kurups' performance as Diana Ross was similar, with the signature sweeping back of her long curly hair out of her eyes; however her voice was her own. Personally, I do not think it hindered the production as a whole – hearing the songs from yesteryear was enough as all of the artistes had amazing voices anyway.

The audience although a little quiet at first was definitely enthused and hot after a steamy and very sexualised rendition of ‘Let's get it on' by Marvin Gay, performed by Leon-Maurice Jones. He even asked the females in the audience if he could take off some of his clothes – to which I shouted “TAKE THEM OFF!”

This production will provide a highly enjoyable evening out with friends, family or loved ones. If you want to feel uplifted or simply glorify and celebrate black music with some ‘movin' and ‘shakin' then this is worth seeing. It is sure to leave you ‘Dancing in the Street.'