BALTIMORE — The musical theatre program at Morgan State University is bringing the sounds of Motown back to life — and the production is now touring the country.
"Echoes of Motown" centers on a time in America when rhythm met resistance, featuring the music of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and the Temptations.
Writer and director Tyrone Stanley, Ph.D., said the show is designed to help audiences escape — and to connect the messages of that era to the battles still relevant today.
"When you see them on stage with this music, you would think they grew up in that era," Stanley said.
Echoes of Motown brings legendary sounds to Morgan State and beyond
"They are actually celebrating the music that raised their parents and their grandparents, and they understand the messages," Stanley said.
Stanley said the stage offers something powerful for both performers and audiences alike.
"When I walk onto a stage, I walk away from everything that is wrong in the world," Stanley said.
"And when we escape authentically on stage, people that are watching us, they escape with us," Stanley said.
To bring the production to life, Stanley turned to internationally known choreographer Sayquon Keys, a Baltimore native and Morgan State alumnus.
"One of the things I've wanted to accomplish in life, just to be able to come back home and give back," Keys said.
Stanley said bringing artists like Keys into the students' orbit changes what they believe is possible for themselves.
"When you're an artist, you have to continue to give your gift out, or you are not doing what you're supposed to be doing on this earth. You're not gifted to keep it to yourself. It's not a gift till you give it away," Stanley said.
"Bringing these people around them, it changes their trajectory of what they can become and what they can be," Stanley said.
Keys said Keys grew up hearing what he couldn't do — and chose to ignore it.
"I grew up, you know, everybody telling me what you can't do. You know, I, no, forget that. Whatever you wanna do, you go out and do it," Keys said.
That drive took Keys to some of the biggest stages and productions in entertainment.
"I choreographed for Coachella, and I did Color Purple and was in Coming to America and you know, did all these amazing things that I've never thought I would have done," Keys said.
Keys described himself as shy offstage, a claim that drew laughs, but said performing transforms him.
"But when I get on stage, I feel like I can be the superhero," Keys said.
When asked which scene leaves the biggest impression on audiences, Stanley didn't hesitate.
"Hands down, the end of act one, the dance I had him choreograph to Michael Jackson's 'They Don't Care About Us,'" Stanley said.
Stanley said watching Keys join the students on stage during that number was a standout moment.
"I think the part where I had got the goosebumps when you came out at the end and did your thing with the students, that was amazing," Stanley said.
For Stanley, the collaboration between him and Keys reflects a philosophy that drives the entire production.
"You can't go out there, and it's all, you know, it's gotta be we, or the boat doesn't float," Stanley said.
The production, born on Morgan State's campus, is now set to reach audiences well beyond it as the tour continues.
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