Review: “Motown Christmas” at the Ensemble Theatre

If you are looking for a way to ring in the holidays with old school musical flair, then the Ensemble Theater’s “Motown Christmas” is the place to be.

From the opening scene, Playwright Nate Jacobs and Musical Director/Arranger Horace Alexander Young set the tone for a toe-tapping, high energy tribute to the music-makers that made Motown the premiere soul music label in the music industry. We join Kaitlyn Gibson and Kendal Thomas, part of the Youth Ensemble, as they take an educational journey down the road that brought the world the major hits and major hitmakers that shaped African-American culture.

It is truly an educational experience that celebrates the holidays by revisiting an era of music that produced the iconic sounds of The Temptations, the Supremes,  The Marvelettes, Smoky Robinson, Marvin Gaye and the Jackson 5, and more.

The multi-talented cast delivered an iconic Motown Revue with soulful renditions of “Just My Imagination,” “I Heard It Through the Grapvine,” “Tears of a Clown,” “Come See About Me” with classic holiday urban tunes from “This Christmas” to “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” to the soulful “Mary Did You Know.”

From a set decorated in vibrant, colorful holiday lights and the cast adorned in outfits of the period, the play was a living, breathing tribute to all things Motown.

Aisha Ussery ensures that the performance is infused with a message to inspire a world of content creators and digital influencers to set aside their phones and enjoy an hour-long celebration of music that fed the soul and became the fabric to our lives told through song and dance.

The play runs through Dec. 24, so put down your phones and settle into your seats for a festive, one-of-a-kind musical throwback experience in tribute to the holidays and the soulful sounds of Motown.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit ensemblehouston.com.