Our man on Broadway talks Motown:The Musical

ANOTHER OPENING, NOT JUST ANOTHER SHOW: Our spy—a Broadway insider—slipped into last night’s opening of Motown: The Musical and offered the following facts and impressions: Who was there? Who wasn’t there. Among those in attendance were David Geffen, Marty Bandier, Jimmy Iovine, Clive Davis, Charles Koppelman, Lucian Grainge, Barry Weiss, Peter Edge, Tom Corson, L.A. Reid, Bob Pittman, Tommy Mottola, Allen Grubman, Mel Lewinter, Sylvia Rhone, Richard Perry with Jane Fonda, Joe Smith, Fred Davis, Ellen Lavinthal, Bruce Resnikoff (UMe will release the cast album), Jesse Jackson, Spike Lee, Benny Medina and Mike Tyson—and those were just the ones on my side of the theater! In a heartwarming moment, Doug Morris, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Suzanne de Passe and Gladys Knight all took a bow onstage at curtain. But the most poignant moment happened just before the final curtain when Berry Gordy and Diana Ross embraced. Much of the show is based upon Berry and Diana’s relationship, both business and personal. (4/15a)