Singing Back to Where It All Began

You know the songs. You’ve sung them in your car, danced to them at weddings, and maybe even passed them down to your kids. But behind those silky harmonies and irresistible grooves lies a deeper story, one that How Sweet It Is brings to life.

Created by singer-songwriter Luke McMaster, How Sweet It Is kicks off Florida Studio Theatre’s Summer Cabaret Season by bridging generations of music through a Motown lens. With reimagined versions of iconic hits like “My Girl,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and “Stop! In the Name of Love,” the show does more than perform the soundtrack of an era: it tells the stories behind the songs, the people who wrote them, and the connections that still resonate today.

“You’ll hear these songs reimagined,” says Catherine Randazzo, Line Producer for the Summer Cabaret. “But more than that, you’ll hear how they came to be. These fresh takes bring both joy and discovery, and remind us why this music still matters.”

When Motown Records emerged from Detroit in 1959, it didn’t just change music, it changed American culture. It launched the voices of The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and The Four Tops into homes around the world. But more than the hooks, it was the heart behind the music that endured. The songwriting stuck.

That’s where McMaster found his connection. 

Though he first rose to fame in the early 2000s as part of the Canadian pop duo McMaster & James, the music that stayed with him wasn’t from the charts: it was from his childhood. The warmth of vinyl. The falsetto of Smokey. The longing, the grit, the joy. “Eventually, it pulled me in,” he says. “I started asking, what made these songs last?”

That question led to a chance meeting with legendary music publisher Leeds Levy. Soon, McMaster found himself not only learning from—but collaborating with—some of the architects of soul, including Lamont Dozier and Smokey Robinson.

“It was like a masterclass you can't get anywhere else,” McMaster says. “You absorb things about songwriting and the inner workings of music history that aren’t in any book.”

How Sweet It Is continues that conversation live on stage, with sounds that honor the past without getting stuck in it.

Joined by musicians Miles Aubrey and Louis Tucci, McMaster reshapes the classics. Songs like “Tracks of My Tears,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” and “Dock of the Bay” are delivered with stripped-back arrangements, allowing audiences to rediscover the heart of the music they already love.

Not every song in the show comes from the Motown label. The setlist includes music by The Rascals, The Beatles, James Taylor, and Phil Collins—artists who were inspired by, or reflected, Motown’s spirit in their own work. This mix highlights how Motown’s influence rippled outward, shaping music and culture far beyond its Detroit roots. How Sweet It Is carries forward the legacy of the musicians who shaped our soundtracks, singing their stories into a new generation.

Because some shows take you somewhere new. This one sings you back to where it all began—and reminds you why you never left.