SARASOTA — “Marvin Gaye, Prince of Soul,” is back on the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe stage and with good reason — it is that good, actually better.
Written, adapted and directed by WBTT founder and leader Nate Jacobs, this incarnation is so good, one wonders what is keeping it from Broadway, other than the substantial costs involved with sending a show to the Great White Way.
All those hit songs sung by a singer whose career was too short because of an overzealous and overly rightous father makes for the stuff of a Broadway and/or film hit. It certainly was well received last Wednesday night at WBTT.
Jacobs’ handling of the story of the man whose career choice did not match that of his religious zealot father tells that story so well.
With Ariel Blue as Mama Gay, Brian Boyd as Frankie Gaye and Sheldon Rhoden as Marvin, the son would not and could not heed his father’s fanatical opinions about his chosen career.
It is a wonder the brutal end did not come sooner. (Note the lack of the “e” on the parents’ names. It was added to the son’s name as his career blossomed.)
So fanatical in his belief that his son was on an evil path, the father, a minister, never wanted any part of his son’s choice of career. He certainly would never have added that “e” on the end of the family name.
“Only what you do for God will last,” said the father. “Your tongue is the enemy of your body.”
Marvin’s mother did her best to help the young man to understand. That the father was a zealot with a capital Z made life tough for everyone, but especially mother and son.
“When you get older, you will understand,” she said. “He loves you more than you know.”
By the time he was 17, the young man couldn’t take it any more and enlisted in the Air Force.
“In two months, you’ll be home,” his father said. “You’ll never make the grade.”
And he didn’t but, fortunately for the world, Marvin followed his muse, singing backup and more until he finally landed in Detroit in the 1960s when a man named Barry Gordy, founder of Motown Records.
The Mowtown Sound soon swept the country with many a superstar, including Marvin Gaye, who would record such tunes as “Can I Get a Witness,” “How Sweet It Is (to be loved by you),” “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “What’s Going On,” and Mercy, Mercy Me,” among so many others.
“Marvin Gaye, Prince of Soul” is about the singer’s life, loves and the tragic death that took him from the world all too soon.
In the hands of Jacobs and choreographer Donald Frison, plus the fabulous costumes by Darci Collins, wigs by Doinique Freeman, projections by Austin Jacobs, lighting by Machael Pasquini and sound by Patrick Russini, “Marvin Gaye, Prince of Soul” is a force to be reckoned with.
Live musicians at the back of the stage kept things humming along.
This is a strong cast. In addition to Blue as the mother and Brian L. Boyd as brother Frankie Gay, there was Michael Kinsey as Papa Gay. (Note the lack of the ‘E’ on the father’s name.) The E was added by Marvin and siblings, another sign of the father’s zealotry. The mother, as the family peacemaker, did not choose to rock that boat.
The ensemble cast includes LaKesha Lorene as Anna Gordy, Michael Mejia-Mendez as Stevie Wonder and ensemble, Terry Spann as Barry Gordy, Emerald Rose Sullivan as Janis Gaye, Jai Shanae as Tammi Terrell and Amber Myers as Kim Weston.
Projections, music, costumes and all that talent make for a don’t miss show that is more proof of what that professional theater has come to be here in the cultural capital of Florida.
“Marvin Gaye, Prince of Soul,” created and adapted by Nate Jacobs, continues through May 26 on the WBTT stage in the Donelly Theatre, 1012 North Orange Ave. in Sarasota
For tickets, call 941-366-1505 or visit: westcoastblacktheatre.org
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