Like an encyclopedic entry for the late musical marvel, Marvin Gaye: Prince of Soul is principally a musical review embellished with biographic scenes at WBTT. Because of the excellent singing, onstage band, and choreography, the production greatly enlivens the script. It glorifies Gaye but gives short shift and time to the follies of the second part of his life. This makes the show seem mainly a tribute.
Sheldon Rhoden thoroughly inhabits Marvin Gaye, stressing his musical genius with presence, especially in his younger days. He also reveals positively Gaye’s family and romantic relationships. That’s not always easy to do when Gaye faces his too-strict, unkind father. It’s fine to see Michael Kinsey back at WBTT, making Gaye’s father as horrid as he was.
Ariel Blue is Gaye’s understanding, soothing mother. Like her, also in lifelong support is brother Frankie Gaye, so long and likeably played by Brian L. Boyd. Emerald Rose Sullivan proves rightly proud of playing Janis Gaye for the third time at WBTT.
Jazzmin Carson, LaKesha Lorene, Jai Shanae are each in great voice. This made them, as much as sexiness, become Gaye’s women in and out of marriage. As Motown chief, Terry Spann is the assured Berry Gordon, who not only career-guides (or is guided by) Gaye but becomes a narrator between scenes of the play. He’s a major asset.
As Stevie Wonder, Michael Mejia-Mendez excels. He also works throughout the show as one of the main group of fast-paced male dancers and even once as a band conductor.
Among the hit songs featured are: “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “Cry,” “Mr. Sandman,” “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Yesterday.” A few of the performed songs by Gaye, or usually with a co-composer, are “Inner City Blues,” “Let’s Get It On,” and the prophetic “If I Should Die Tonight.”
“Whatever Happened to Motown” is by script writer Nate Jacobs with J. Dodge for the appropriate change of time and type of music pertinent to Gaye’s career. A next to final song is Nate Jacobs’ “Frankie’s Song”, since in many ways, brother Frankie was with him until Marvin’s end.
The show is nearly an extravaganza with its colorful costumes, numerous projections upstage as scenery, and a cast-with-ensemble that fills the stage down to the first row of the audience. There is still room for audience members to have their feet dance in place, as many did on the night I attended.
