"STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE..."

How Do You Quit Being Judgmental

I was really, really excited recently  when I saw a Motown show would be staged near us.  After all, I’m a girl of the 60’s with a passion for The Supremes and any  other music  group from that era.

In 1959 when I was a giddy 13 years old, Berry Gordy founded his new record label in Detroit, naming it Motown after the popular Detroit moniker Motor City.  And by the early 60’s when we were in high school, The Motown Sound – a combination  of   rhythm & blues, gospel and pop with tambourines, electric bass guitars, call & response singing and a 4-beat drum pattern – reverberated from teenage cars all across America.

But, you know, they say a  sucker is born every minute. And I found out after checking my credit card statement the other day that PT Barnum was right. I had actually paid $338 for two tickets to a “SloDown” disaster. When I text my daughter during the show   “This thing  is awful,” she replied, “Who could ruin Motown!”  Well, I’ve got names…

We had great seats in the Loge over a field of white hair and a lot of bald spots.  I was so excited I felt as if I were revving my engine as the lights dimmed. But I should have known when they had to start the performance twice, the show didn’t have enough gas.

When Marvin Gaye ran off the stage after his first number to get a drink for his scratchy throat, the lady beside me whispered, “I wonder how much Scotch is in that?” And the idea that a really rotund Aretha Franklin, who actually never signed with Motown, kept joking with the audience about bringing her a pork chop sandwich seemed kinda weird. When I noticed the Jackson 5 was 3 women and 2 men with fake guitars, I started pumping the brakes.

My husband had to throw his arm across me like a parent used to do when their kid lurched forward in the car. “Shhhh! You don’t have tell people that Diana Ross is butchering that song. Some people are enjoying it.”

During our drive home my husband reminded me of an important lesson I had already learned in life, but must have forgotten that night. “Honey, you’ve been blessed in life. You’ve already seen some awesome shows.”

He was right. And he definitely made me think… STOP! And be grateful…

I had been in heaven during the Broadway tours of Dream Girls in Columbus and Jersey Boys in Chicago. And I throughly enjoyed attending the inaugural performance to kick off the musical tour of Memphis.

Orpheum Theatre 203 S. Main St Memphis, TN

To top to it all off, I got to see Motown, the musical about Berry Gordy’s life, on Broadway with my friend Connie. And the coolest thing happened at that performance. A young, charismatic, black woman sat down beside us. Even though she pulled out a box lunch and started eating, she was magnetic. We had such fun visiting with her. It turned out Joelle Moses had been a finalist on The Voice UK and was in NYC preparing for the starring role of Rachel Barron (Whitney Huston) in The Bodyguard back in Britain.

Lunt Fontanne Theatre on West 46th St. NYC

Sometimes even in my old age, I have to be reminded to “Stop! In The Name of Love… (Think It O-o-ver) (Think It O-o-ver)” — because gratitude should be multiplying with my age — forcing out those pesky negative thoughts.

Well, I guess we “Can’t Hurry Love,” but we sure can work on it...

It’ll Be OK.

~~~

“ Cal: You’re really pushing my buttons today.” “Becky: Which one is MUTE?” ~ Waitress, The Musical

PLEASE SHARE: What do you do when you find yourself being judgmental?