‘Real Housewives of Motown’ showcases the women who stood proudly in the shadows of hitmakers’ love

Britt Edwards (from left), Qiana McNary, De’Jah Perkins and Melanie McCullough star as “The Real Housewives of Motown” at Black Ensemble Theater. (Mitchell Reese Boseman)

Behind every strong man is an even stronger woman.

That is the message of Michelle Renee Bester’s rollicking new musical “The Real Housewives of Motown,” also directed by Bester, in its world premiere at Black Ensemble Theater. The show follows the trials and tribulations of the four women who were married to the men who helped make Motown great: Claudette Robinson (a member of the Miracles and married to singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson), Josephine Williams (married to The Temptations founder Otis Williams), Mary Agnes Williams (married to Temptations lead singer Paul Williams), and Clineice Stubbs (married to Four Tops lead vocalist Levi Stubbs).