Arts & Entertainment Cover Story Mr. Excitement MUSICAL BIO OF JACKIE WILSON SHOWS THE MOTOWN GREAT AS TALENTED, ERRATIC AND MAYBE JEWISH. BILL CARROLL Special to the Jewish News D owntown Detroit will rock again with old-time Motown music Feb. 4-9, as The Jackie Wilson Story (My Heart Is Crying, Crying) makes its local debut at Detroit's Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts. A high-energy musical depicting the rise and fall of the legendary Motown performer, the show portrays Wilson as a versatile singer who liked to think and act like he was Jewish — and perhaps really was. Wilson, one of the first R&B vocalists to make the leap to rock 'n' roll success, was also regarded as one of the first great soul singers. From his first hit song, "Reet Petite," in 1957, to his death at the age of 49 in 1984, Wilson, dubbed "Mr. Excitement," was admired and emulated by many of his contemporaries. But, despite his success, his dynamic life ended in misery and tragedy. In The Jackie Wilson Story, a cast of 12 actors and seven musicians performs 25 songs from the late 1950s and early 1960s, including such Wilson hits as "Lonely Teardrops," "(Your Love Keeps Liftin' Me) Higher & Higher," "Baby Workout" and "Doggin' Me Around." The show comes to Detroit at an opportune time for the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is launching a new cam- paign to showcase the Motown legacy. Spurred on by two recent movies that publicized the city and its performers and music, 8 Mile (with rap singer Eminem) and Standing in the Shadows of Motown (about the Funk Brothers, the Motown backup band), the bureau is pushing for the expansion of Motown museums and historic landmarks and the distribution of memorabilia on famous Motown artists. Wilson On Stage The Jackie Wilson Story is staged by the Black Ensemble Theater Co. of Chicago (BET), which has had more than 100 productions in 26 years, in a joint venture with the newly formed BET Touring Venture, headed by 45-year-old entertain- ment entrepreneur Brian Kabatznick of Chicago. A former ticket industry executive, Kabatznick, who calls himself a "devout Conservative" Jew, handles the show's business and marketing. The show was written, produced and directed by Jackie Taylor, BET founder and executive director. "The audience will be uplifted and inspired by this story," she said. "I want them to leave the theater humming and dancing." Jackie Wilson: Wo one could sing My Yiddishe Mama' better than Jackie," says Simon Rutberg, Wilson's close friend and the owner of Hatikvah Music Store in the heavily Jewish Failfax Ave. section of Los Angeles. tIN 1/31 2003 62