Review Archive/December 2013
Updated January 24, 2014


THE MARVIN GAYE STORY PLAY
Page 2 of 2
Great Edutainment!

By Jay Whipple/Trend Magazine Online™

Next up was my personal favorite scene in this play/musical which featured Marvin (Thompson) in a duet with the late great Thomasina Winfred Montgomery b.k.a. Tammi Terrell (1945 – 1970) played by Melanie McCoullough which was actually very good and featured the 1967 hit "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" later re- recorded by the legendary Ms. Diana Ross in 1981. That hit was followed by "You’re All I Need To Get By(1968)" which was a great performance by Thompson (Marvin) and McCoullough (Terrell).  Needless to say; that duo (Marvin and Tammi) recorded some of the most prolific love duets in the history of mankind and to this day are my personal favorites. At this point in the play/musical Ms. Taylor (Producer, writer, director) establishes that Marvin indeed suffered from stage fright – something else I did not know. She also establishes something I always wondered about, especially after watching their videos, was there something else going on between the dynamic duo? Ms. Taylor’s answer was yes, indeed, and much to the chagrin of Anna Gaye (Played by Katrina V. Miller) – Marvin’s first wife and sister of Motown’s founder Mr. Berry Gordy, Jr. (Echoles), and the late great David Eli Ruffin (1941 – 1991) the best – in my opinion – lead singer of the legendary tempting Temptations; who was dating Tammi. Got it? Another personal faux pas uncovered in this play was the fact that Marvin had a thing for Prostitutes; also known as Call Girls -- depending how much money you’re spending. Smile! Question? If you take a woman to dinner and spend over a C note just to get some later, is that also prostitution? Enquiring minds want to know! Next up and just before our 15-minute intermission was Marvin’s 1968 hit "Heard It Through The Grapevine" -- performed by Thompson -- which was good.

There was a bee line to the men’s and lady’s restrooms although beer was not available. Go figure. The audience was comprised mostly of older adults. Smile!  After intermission Ms. Taylor delved into the disclosure that Marvin did indeed do cocaine on the regular. In fact, his character was often seen sniffing from some type drug paraphernalia from scene to scene to establish that point. This was something else I just did not know – naïve me huh? Next up was the socially conscience Marvin hit "What’s Going On" released in 1971. My favorite part of this song is at the end when he/someone says “get the football out.” Mr. Thompson again did a good job with this one and subsequently received a great response from the audience. The lead in to this song was well played by Thompson (Marvin) and Newton (Frankie Gay) in a scene where his brother (Frankie) finally located him (Marvin) in some shack in the woods after he had gone missing for several months after the untimely death of Tammi Terrell in 1970. Frankie had just returned from Vietnam and his reflections lead Marvin to ask “What’s going on!” My most memorable scene! The next scenes delved into even more bizarre personal shortcomings of Marvin Junior and Senior’s lifestyles as the hit "Let’s Get It On (1973)" was – according to Ms. Taylor – inspired by a 17-year old girl (Named Janis) that ended up living with the late great crooner; while he was still married. They later married in 1977 and had two children before divorcing in 1982. The audience love it – the song that is! The play also established the fact that Marvin, Sr. was an alcoholic, former preacher and cross-dresser -- in a scene with his wife Alberta (U-Deen).

The fire continued with Marvin’s 1973 hit "Distant Lover" which was Thompson’s best performance thus far as he came into the audience and sang on his knees to two females and then slow-danced with another one. It was just another day at the office – if you were indeed Marvin Gaye! The temperature continued to heat up in a great scene – following Marvin’s death by his father -- that featured four tall streamers in the backdrop that played video containing chaos, war, starvation, conflict, riots, and was followed by a soul-stirring solo by his mother Alberta (U-Deen). Afterwards, the full cast was presented on stage wearing white for the final number before being introduced by Ms. Jackie Taylor after she addressed the audience. This play/musical ended at 10:30 PM.

In retrospect, the acting initially was a bit over-the-top but leveled off as this play/musical continued to its wonderful yet sad climax; for those of us that really miss this once-in-a-lifetime talent known as Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. Kudos to Ms. Taylor, her staff, and the players for educating and entertaining this fan on the hard facts of life surrounding most of us mere mortals. I learned that the devil – like God – is no respecter of persons and no one is out of his reach and control. I am, however, just a tad bit suspect of the main source of most of the lurid details surrounding the life and times of my main man Marvin; yet, have not been moved in that he will still go down in history as the greatest crooner/soul singer of our lifetime! Judge not lest ye be judged.

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