Four Tops musical 'I'll Be There' will premiere in Detroit ahead of Broadway run

[marmar]

(Detroit Free Press) As the Four Tops’ stage musical quietly came together the past two years, producers had their sights set on a Broadway premiere.

But Duke Fakir, the group’s lone surviving founder, had his own mission in mind: His love letter to Detroit, he insisted, needed to launch in his hometown.

“I said: 'Look, this is my city. Detroit is my New York. It’s my Hollywood. And that’s where it should be,' ” he recounted. “They deserve it and I want them to love it. I’m working hard and diligently to make an outstanding musical.”

And so “I’ll Be There” — now in preproduction — is now set to premiere in Detroit in fall 2022, ahead of planned runs on Broadway and London’s West End.

“I would feel like a fool premiering it anywhere other than home,” said Fakir, who is eyeing the Fisher Theatre. “This is where it belongs.” .............(more)

https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2021/10/17/four-tops-musical-ill-be-there-detroit-broadway/8468817002/