Stax Records may be coming to Broadway soon enough, as the Concord Music Group and producer Stuart Benjamin are looking to bring a musical based on the legendary label to the stage by early 2016. If that sounds familiar, it might be because a musical based on Motown, the other huge name in the history of African-American music, has already taken to New York City.
Although there's little doubt that Motown is the bigger name (one of the biggest genre-based labels in American history at that), Stax still has a discography that some listeners (yours truly) would opt for in a heartbeat. A brief list of four classics that came to mind instantaneously: Green Onions by Booker T. and The MG's, Blue Otis by Otis Redding, Born Under A Bad Sign by Albert King and of course Isaac Hayes' Shaft soundtrack. Memphis had some heat to compete with Detroit.
The question is how the plot for such a musical-which would need to feature music from at least a 15-year period would work. Motown: The Musical set the narrative as a Berry Gordy flashback, triggered by a 25th anniversary gathering of performers from the label's history. Theatergoers might not be too pleased to see the same concept in play for a second show, even if the music was great.
The good news is that the material is in qualified hands with Benjamin. The film producer has an obvious interest in soul and blues, considering the three albums he's produced celebrating Ray Charles' music and his production of the film Ray. Just in case you weren't aware, the film earned a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, so Benjamin has a good track record with quality products.
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