A Motown Christmas was originally released as a two-LP compilation album in 1973 that was dominated by versions of Christmas carols by the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, and the Supremes. Two Christmases ago, Nate Jacobs created a stage version of the album for an African-American theater troupe in Sarasota, Florida, and now Jubilee Theatre is bringing it here.
To be sure, some of the hits from that album will be here, so you’ll get to hear a re-creation of little Michael Jackson’s falsetto version of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” However, Jacobs also mined Motown’s back catalog for some lesser-known original holiday music, so we’ll get to hear such numbers as Smokey Robinson’s “I Can Tell When Christmas Is Near” or “My Christmas Tree” (sung to a scraggly Charlie Brown-like tree) or Jacobs’ own original composition, “What’s Up Under the Christmas Tree.” They’re mixed in with non-holiday classics from Motown like “My Girl” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” so this new show looks as surefire as anything Jubilee has ever brought in.
A Motown Christmas runs Nov 24-Dec 24 at Jubilee Theatre, 506 Main St, FW. Tickets are $19-29. Call 817-338-4411.
