the Real Housewives of Motown

Black Ensemble Theatre, known for its history of musicals highlighting black actors and singers, shares with the audience what life was like for the women who stood beside the musical superstars of the era of Motown. Temptations, Four Tops, and the Miracles brought us stars like Otis and Paul Williams, Levi Stubbs, and the incredible Smokey Robinson. Motown hit the world by storm in the '60s with its electrifying urban sound and professional movements, with artists worldwide wanting to copy the sound. And many did. Using the popular American reality television housewife label as its background, BET's version of the wives from Motown, written and directed by Michelle Renee Bester, takes the audience on a musical journey with 21 Motown hits.

Before the play starts, you listen to the soulful tunes of Motown. BET does an excellent job with its staging, where period-correct televisions as a backdrop is a perfect touch. And as always, the energy on stage was engaging and electrifying, which hides the lackluster acting throughout the performance—led by Melanie McCullough(Josephine Williams), De'Jah Perkins (Mary Agnes Williams), Qiana McNary (Clineice Stubbs), and Britt Edwards, who played the first lady of Motown, Claudette Rogers Robinson. These resilient women talk, laugh, sing and share their joys and pains about marrying into the world of Motown Records, an American record label founded by Berry Gordy Jr. 

The women of Motown were entertaining; however, I found myself drifting away from the uninspiring narrative, thinking about my memories of Motown. Bester, who wrote and directed The Real Housewives of Motown, is very talented; however, using the American reality television housewife label as a background is a clever idea but limits the play's potential. The Real Housewives of Motown could benefit from a more creative storyline that uniquely and compellingly showcases the women's stories, allowing the play to stand out and create a lasting impact. As a result, the storyline could have been more compelling instead of lacking a decisive moment that drew you into any of the characters. 

What makes these ladies' stories of being with a successful star different from others? Why were they chosen as wives? The Real Housewives of Motown could benefit from adding more depth to the characters and their stories, such as the addiction to alcohol that Paul Williams from The Temptations had that caused him to commit suicide, also how Claudette Robinson suffered through seven miscarriages and stillbirth of twin daughters while being married to Smokey Robinson. 

The play could explore how these women met their husbands, their struggles, and their sacrifices to support their spouses' careers — allowing the audience to connect more with the characters and create a more emotional impact. But instead, these were unanswered questions indicating that this play needed a deeper dive into the women's lives, never telling the audience how they met or sharing endearing stories of their relationship, love, and romance, or isolating their pain and trauma of being married to superstars in the music industry. 

However, I was blown away by the powerful and soulful voices of the women singers. Their performance of "Be Grateful" by Walter Hawkins was undoubtedly the highlight of the play. A more intriguing platform would be to let the ladies sing and feature their superstar husbands as silhouettes in the background singing to them. This would have been more appealing as the women's voices in this production were better than the men's. Or stick with Black Ensemble's signature narrative of telling each story individually, with powerful and intriguing messages of women holding the family together as they struggle to hold on.   

One glaring omission from the Housewives of Motown was Berry Gordy's wife, Thelma Louise Coleman, who had three kids with Berry and dealt with rumors about him having an affair with Diana Ross. 

The title alone, the Real Housewives of Motown, and the Motown music will excite audiences enough, making it an entertaining evening; however, there was a missed opportunity here not only to entertain but educate and inspire that Bester will, in time, figure out how to bring together great combinations of narrative acting and singing, making one outstanding performance.

Rating: 2 ½ Stars

Black Ensemble Theater

The Real Housewives of Motown

Written and Directed by Michelle Renee Bester

May 28 – July 9, 2023