Motown The Musical has been one of Broadway’s top-ten hits from the moment it opened, winning over audiences with music and lyrics culled from “The Legendary Motown Catalog.”

Berry Gordy knows a thing or two about family. Back in 1959, when he needed a start-up loan to launch Motown Records in Detroit, it was his family that put up the $800 that would become the first building block in a multi-million dollar music empire that would become his second family, the iconic recording artists that would change the contemporary music scene forever.

As the architect of this empire, Berry was inexhaustible, writing and producing songs while managing the careers of a stable of superstars that included Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells, Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves, and groups like the Four Tops, the Marvelettes, and the Temptations. Collectively, they were the Motown Sound, dominating top-ten charts throughout the 1960s and ’70s. Individually, they were Gordy’s Motown family members.

Which brings us to Motown The Musical — a show that has been one of Broadway’s top-ten hits from the moment it began previews in early 2013, winning over audiences with Gordy’s heartfelt, autobiographical script and music and lyrics culled from “The Legendary Motown Catalog.” We’re talking 60 songs that are far more than a nostalgia-infused soundtrack — they are works that remain as impressive today as they were decades ago. Which explains why multi-generational theatregoers can be seen mouthing the words to such classics as “Dancing in the Street,” “My Guy,” “The Tears of a Clown,” “ABC,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”

Not surprisingly, none of the show’s appeal is lost on the cast, all of whom have received Gordy’s stamp of approval — even if he hasn’t met them in person. Included in this category is Josh Tower, who recently became the second actor to be cast as Gordy on Broadway.

“I heard that the audition was for both Broadway and a new Chicago company,” recalls Tower, whose wife was pregnant at the time with a two-year old at home. “So I was a little gun shy about auditioning, knowing I couldn’t leave the city.” Fortunately, after weeks of auditions, he learned he was on the New York short list.

The Temptations. Photo: Joan Marcus

“They put me on video so that Berry could see my performance from Detroit and he gave feedback through the show’s director, Charles Randolph-Wright,” adding that at this point he’s familiar with Gordy only from documentaries and interviews.” I’ve spoken to his assistant, but I look forward to meeting him sometime soon to solidify this journey in his shoes.”

As for playing Gordy, Tower doesn’t shy away from the complexity of the man, including his dark side, which does come up in the musical — as does the pain Gordy experienced when his closest and most prominent Motown family members jumped ship.

We’re talking 60 songs that are far more than just a nostalgia-fueled soundtrack...

“I can feel the body blows at every performance,” says Tower. “And I can feel the audience being caught up in his mental and emotional odyssey, the good and the bad. Because, let’s face it, nobody’s perfect, but what Gordy created is amazing.”

Charl Brown as Smokey Robinson. Photo: Joan Marcus

Considering the caliber of Motown and its leading players — Tower, of course, as well as Krystal Joy Brown as Diana Ross, Tony nominee Charl Brown as Smokey Robinson, Bryan Terrell Clark as Marvin Gaye, and the two young actors, Nathaniel Cullors and Raymond Luke, Jr. who alternate in the roles of young Berry, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson — Gordy, at 84, is still working entertainment magic.

“When you hear a song from the Motown catalog, you remember exactly where you were the first time you heard it,” says Tower. “And it’s pretty much the same thing as you sit in the theatre, listening to the musical’s score: you find yourself retracing your own life’s journey. Even young viewers who weren’t around when these songs came out know the music… they know Michael Jackson… they know Smokey...”

Motown the Musical is playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St. For tickets, call 877-250-2929 or visit motownthemusical.com.