Nicholas Christopher Makes His Broadway Debut
Bermudian actor/singer Nicholas Christopher made his Broadway debut in “Motown: The Musical” yesterday [Apr. 14] in front of a wildly appreciative opening night audience which included many of the legends his new show celebrates — including Diana Ross, her former Supremes partner Mary Wilson and Stevie Wonder.
The iconic stars were on hand for the premiere of the new jukebox musical written by Motown founder Berry Gordy about the highs and lows of his life in the recording industry.
Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, the show is brimming with songs made famous by such Motown acts as Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five.
The hit-filled musical — being staged at New York’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre — stars Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon and Valisia LaKae; Mr. Christopher is a member of the show’s ensemble.
“Motown” is already one of the top-grossing Broadway productions of the season. It has been playing to sold-out houses, grossing upwards of $1 million weekly for all four weeks of its preview period which began on March 11 -– a record for any Broadway show to arrive in New York without an out-of-town tryout.
CBS News report on the opening night of “Motown: The Musical”
Although Mr. Christopher has appeared in two major New York productions since 2011 — the critically praised revival of the musical “Rent” and playwright Katori Hall’s searing drama “Hurt Village” – neither show was staged in the traditional Broadway theatre district, extending from 40th to 54th Street, and from west of Sixth Avenue to east of Eighth Avenue, and including Times Square and 42nd Street.
Mr. Christopher is now the second Bermudian treading the Broadway boards during the 2012-13 New York theatre season; Rebecca Faulkenberry is co-starring in “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark” at the Foxwoods Theatre on West 42nd Street.
“The New York Times” review of “Motown” described the show as a “musically vibrant trip back to the glory days of Detroit, where the vinyl pouring out of an unassuming two-story house took the world by storm, all but paving the city’s streets with gold records … The musical [showcases] the sweet stream of music that fused the soul of rhythm and blues with the ear worm hooks of pop to create a genre that played a role in America’s changing attitudes toward race in the 1960s …
“The performers put their songs across with verve and an admirable lack of self-consciousness, given that the audience is likely to be intimately familiar with every nuance of phrasing from the original recordings.”
The son of Hamilton crier Ed Christopher, Mr. Christopher’s brother Jonathan — an opera singer and musical theatre performer — recently starred in an acclaimed revival of “Cabaret” in Iowa.
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Congratulations Nicholas Christopher.
This was told by Patricia Nesbitt that Bermuda really does have talent! Done Well!