Dancing in the Streets – The Liverpool Empire

Complied and Directed by Keith Strachan

Reviewer: Stephanie Rowe

The Public Reviews Rating:

Unsure of quite what to expect from the this show, I was astonished to find it was more a concert of Motown hits than the story of how Motown started and grew as the piece in the programme lead me to believe.

Yes I was a little disappointed by the fact that it was a concert of hits and a commemoration of the magnificent Motown stars and their famous songs, but I soon overcame this little bit of trivia and started to tap my feet and sing along with the rest of them (hope I didn’t spoil it for the people next to me, I really cannot sing!).

The cast consisting of eleven very exceptional singers and dancers gave a superb performance taking on the roles of some of the most loved and respected Motown Singers of our era, from Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to name just a few, and it would be wrong of me to pick out anyone from the eleven outstanding members of this team to say they were better than the rest, when I say team that is exactly what I mean, they all worked together wonderfully to make each act a glorious tribute to the stars they were playing.

The Band were on the stage and very much a part of the whole ensemble with Kevin Oliver Jones as Musical Director as well as playing many instruments he has helped to create a hit show from start to finish and the same credit must go to Carole Todd the Choreographer who had the backing singings and artistes dancing the exact type of moves we expect from Motown stars, all in time and synchronised perfectly. Sean Cavanagh kept the set plain and simple allowing the band and artistes to be the centre of the show and not the set.

This fantastic musical experience had the audience singing along right from the moment they entered the theatre as you could hear all the famous Motown hits been played in the background, unfortunately it did start thirty five minutes late and many people were starting to get restless, just before it started, but all was forgiven from the moment the curtain went up on what can only be described as A Celebration of all that is and was Motown. If Motown is your thing then you are sure to enjoy this fantastic show from the beginning to the end.