Theatre review: A History of Motown weaves stories and songs into unique interactive experience
Krystle Dos Santos and her band perform toe-tapping classics like “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)”, emotional ballads such as “Let’s Stay Together”, and rousing sing-along moments like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
Krystle Dos Santos
A History of Motown runs at the Firehall Arts Centre to April 13
THERE’S A STORY behind every song—and song by song, Motown built an empire of hits that changed the world.
In Krystle Dos Santos’s A History of Motown, the powerhouse singer and her dynamo band walk audiences through the evolution of the legendary American record label, while providing a fun, interactive experience that brings audiences to their feet, dancing.
The show, performed at the Firehall Arts Centre, feels less like a theatre experience than it does an intimate living-room performance. Nestled in an inviting set with lamps and side tables, Dos Santos and her band interpreting toe-tapping classics like “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)”, emotional ballads such as “Let’s Stay Together”, and rousing sing-along moments with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and others.
With her warm personality, Dos Santos speaks directly to the audience and provides a wealth of interesting context about the music performed. She explains that the name Motown was inspired by Detroit’s nickname—“Motor City”. We also get to hear about how superstars such as Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, and the Jackson 5 found their way into the spotlight.
Dos Santos also discusses the impact that Motown had on cultural change. She explains how Motown’s founder, Berry Gordy, fought to elevate the artists on his all-Black label into the white pop scene by ensuring every Motown song was polished and oozed with audience appeal. And we learn about the narrative of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”—a commentary on the devastation of the Vietnamese War.
Dos Santos has genuine conversations with the audience, while also delivering a fantastic playlist of soulful classics. She stays true to the original style of each song, from her sweet, breathy rendition of Mary Wells’s “My Guy”, to her sassy, powerhouse performance of Franklin’s “Respect”. The band is not only equally masterful in producing genuine Motown flavour, but also gets into the spirit of things, getting its groove on while playing.
While the first act contains most of the relaying of Motown’s history, the second act is a feel-good concert, packed with even more Motown hits, and ending with a dance party to Dos Santos’s roof-raising performance of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary”. Dos Santos admits to the audience that not every song in the show is a Motown song—some material, such as “Proud Mary” may be “Motown adjacent”—a choice that no one is likely to make a fuss about. On the contrary, given all the fun, it’s more than welcome.
Even without being presented as a traditional theatre show, A History of Motown still ends up giving audiences a theatrical experience. Through Dos Santos’s stories, including some personal ones related to the music, and the range of emotions from the many songs performed, audiences will feel like they’ve been on a journey. Both the feel-good tunes and the compelling narratives behind them will stay with you long after you’ve left the theatre. 
Related Articles
