Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Congratulations to Broadway actors Chester Gregory and Allison Semmes. The dynamic duo will play the leads in the summer return of “Motown The Musical.” Gregory will play the company’s founder Berry Gordy while Semmes will play the “Queen of Motown” Diana Ross beginning this Tuesday, July 12 at the Nederlander Theatre in New York City.
Berry Gordy and Chester Gregory (Photo Credit: Monica Simoes)
“Motown The Musical” tells the true story behind the beat that changed minds, touched lives and made history. Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations — MOTOWN THE MUSICAL shows how these legendary artists and so many more created the soundtrack that transformed America. The show also includes over 40 classic songs including “My Girl,” “What’s Going On,” “Dancing in the Street,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
Allison Semmes as Diana Ross & The Supremes (Photo Credit; TheFabEmpire.com)
I had a chance to see the show at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre last August and was blown away by Semmes portrayal of Ross. Her rendition of the classic anthem “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand” is one of the show’s highlights because she actually leaves the stage and comes into the audience like Ross did back in the day.
“Aside from being a wonderful friend, she [Allison Semmes] is an incredible talent in multiple disciplines,” says Gregory about Semmes to Broadway Direct. “I get a chance to play with her and share the stage, and we get a chance to share our chemistry with the audience every single night.”
“There was also a kind of mutual talent crush that was happening there. I’m such a fan of his [Chester Gregory] work, and he tells me the same. There’s definitely a respect in our work as well,” says Semmes about Gregory.
Click here to purchase tickets and check out a “Motown The Musical” trailer below: