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

(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/