arts&life

theater

RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM:
Jarran Muse (above) as Marvin Gaye
in Motown The Musical. Muse as Gaye
during two different stages in his career

details

Motown The Musical runs
April 18-30 at the Fisher Theatre in
Detroit. $39 and up. (313) 872-1000;
broadwayindetroit.com.

B

erry Gordy Jr. is the back-
bone behind a chorus of
groundbreaking musi-
cians who made up the Motown
sound and Detroit’s hit-making
machine at Hitsville, U.S.A.
Among them: Smokey Robinson,
Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder —
and Marvin Gaye.
Gaye will be brought to life,
impeccably, by Jarran Muse
when Motown The Musical
makes a stop in its tour April
18-30 at the Fisher Theatre, in
the city where the style was
launched.
“The biggest source for infor-
mation about Marvin Gaye was
from Berry Gordy, who was
Marvin Gaye’s brother-in-law,”
Muse says in a phone conversa-
tion from the road. “Marvin mar-
ried Anna Gordy.
Just as Motown is having its
second run in Detroit, Muse is
having his second visit to the
city with the show. He joined
the Broadway production in
2013, doing swing as backup for
the Marvin Gaye and Smokey
Robinson parts. He moved into
the tour as Marvin Gaye in 2014.
At the core of the play’s story
is Gordy’s journey from feath-
erweight boxer to music mogul,
promoting the careers of many
stars. Featuring more than 40
hits, such as “My Girl” and “Ain’t
No Mountain High Enough,” the
musical moves into the drama
behind the hits and the way the
songs broke through barriers.
“I love that we get to tell a fun
and real story that is not just
about a certain racial history

but about American history,”
says Muse, who is 33 and single.
“It’s about the music that Berry
Gordy got America to dance to.
“I was always a fan of Marvin
Gaye, and it’s great to play a
character like Marvin because
a lot of his lyrics and what he
stood for are just as relevant
today as they were in the 1970s.”
Muse points to the song
“What’s Going On,” which he
sings in the production, as an
example of commentary set to
music. The song is about pro-
tests — then of the war and now
connected, by him, with issues of
racism and gender equality.
“I’m committed to being as
real to Marvin as I can be,” says
Muse, who has picked up Gaye’s
style by watching performances
available online. “I’m not just try-
ing to imitate his voice or be an
impersonator. I’m trying to tap
into his vision.
“He was very political and
active, and he did not hold back.
He had to make sure he got his
message out to the world. I try to
make sure that the audience gets
to see how passionate he was.”
Gordy also is the name of
Muse’s traveling rescue dog — so
dubbed to honor Berry Gordy’s
influence and to represent the
actor’s priority cause, animal
activism.
“The only cause that I’m
actively involved in is animal
rights. I love animals, and mine
was adopted from Broadway
Barks — through the yearly
adoption fair. I use my [show
business] platform for raising

JOAN MARCUS

J

JOAN MARCUS

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

JOAN MARCUS

He’s What’s
Going On

awareness about adoption of res-
cue animals.”
Muse, who was raised by his
Jewish paternal grandmother in
New Jersey, loved to entertain
since he was 7 or 8 — becoming
a part of every band, choir and
school play available. Because he
didn’t see any Broadway shows
until he was a teenager, it didn’t
occur to him that that could be a
goal. The idea of the stage even-
tually developed through men-
tors and choreographers as he
became involved in community
productions.
“I went to the University of
the Arts [in Philadelphia] want-
ing to be a dancer,” he recalls. “I
auditioned and got to perform
on a cruise ship before going on
my first national tour, which led
to my first Broadway show, White
Christmas.”
Muse has since toured with
42nd Street, Hairspray and

jn

Dreamgirls, which brought him
to Detroit for the first time in
2009. As he traveled, his grand-
mother and father came to
watch him in the spotlight.
“When I was very young, I
went to synagogue,” Muse says.
“There were different religions
in my family, and I really didn’t
practice any one of them.
“We did celebrate holidays,
and we celebrated Passover with
delicious seders. With technol-
ogy, I’m able to Facetime with
the family for holidays. Judaism
has always been a part of me and
always will be part of my life.”
Muse, based in New York,
will have more family time after
September, when this tour ends.
“I’m hoping to book some-
thing great,” he says. “I’m not
against any opportunity that
presents itself, and maybe that
could be in Vegas or Atlanta. A
new chapter is about to start.” •

April 13 • 2017

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