It is no small coincidence that both musicals were directed by Tony and Olivier Award winner Des McAnuff in which he won the honors for Jersey Boys as Best Musical and Choreographer Sergio Trujillo for taking home the Tony for the Broadway production of Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. This is a winning combo for sure.
There have been quite a number of high-quality jukebox musicals making it to Broadway, but Ain’t Too Proud with music and lyrics by The Legendary Motown Catalog and a book by Dominique Morisseau is a standout on so many levels.
First and foremost, you have the vast cache of mostly familiar hits to work with. In this production 31 Motown favorites are performed—most but not all are Temptations songs. Some of the songs featured in the show include “Cloud Nine,” “I Can Get Next to You,” the iconic “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” “I Wish it Would Rain,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “Get Ready,” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” among a host of others.
Then there are songs from the fabulous Supremes who ruled Motown until the Temptations climbed to the top and are part of this show. “Baby Love,” “Can’t See About Me” and “You Can’t Hurry Love”—all in a marvelous medley are performed. And one of my personal favorites, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” where both the Supremes and the Temptations team up, is simply wonderful.
Acknowledged as the best-selling R&B group of all time, the Temptations can boast four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and fourteen R&B number-one singles among forty-two Top 10 hits. They earned three Grammy Awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award while six of the members had been inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But for these irresistible treasures to be effectively brought to life you have to have a powerful cast and ensemble as well as a strong orchestra to deliver them. In Ain’t Too Proud, there is that. The talent level among the cast, especially the lead performers, is off the charts. The blending of disparate vocal registers is amazingly pure; the harmonies are perfect. It is tantamount to listening to the actual record.
And the dancing that goes along with the songs is beyond amazing. Yes, Trujillo’s meticulous choreography is worthy of the Tony. But the cast performing those numbers—each with a separate set of moves—is eye-popping. Even more polished than the actual Temptations, the cast executes these slick steps all in synch with an abundance of smoothness, rhythm, spins and when called upon, splits.
"The talent level among the cast, especially the lead performers, is off the charts."
However, Ain’t Too Proud is not just a concert although it feels like one. As many jukebox musicals do, the songs are woven together with a story, a bio of the subjects. In some cases that plot is secondary to the music and audiences eagerly anticipate the next song to be performed.
The story of the Temptations is as integral to the production as the music, and Morisseau’s storytelling is superb. The scenes where the Temptations’ journey is depicted are short enough to keep the music flowing, and in doing so, maintains a high level of energy during the course of the production.
The principal narrator is Otis Williams, a co-founder of what eventually became the Temptations. Played magnificently by Marcus Paul James, not only his singing prowess is on display throughout, but his acting skills shine as he expertly takes the audience on a journey with all its highs and lows. The cornucopia of emotions—melancholy, anger, regret, worry, joy, celebration—are all on display effectively captured in Morisseau’s book and portrayed so expertly by Mr. James and the other cast members.
Through dialogue and song, this journey chronicles the formation of the group in 1960 Detroit whereby the members navigate crime, drugs, poverty and fall in and out of love. At first there is a great amount of cohesion and camaraderie as their fame begins to increase. Then there is the ensuing friction caused by bouts of alcoholism, drugs, and unreliability. Many of these episodes take place with the civil rights struggles and the turmoil that ensued as the backdrop with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King becoming the punctuation mark.
While their musical and financial successes mount during the 60’s and 70’s, jealousy and suspicion of each other and the contract the group signed with Motown and in particular its mogul Berry Gordy begin to seep in. Members leave, others like Al Bryant and David Ruffin who in his case allowed success to get to his head are kicked out.
Others replace them; the Temptations amount to a revolving door and ultimately becomes a franchise of sorts, a brand, and not a singular group like the Rolling Stones who essentially stayed intact for over a half century. Later, as the original members pass away, Otis Williams had to endure the ultimate loss. It’s a moving story that is realistically portrayed by a skilled group of performers.
Besides Mr. James, James T. Lane as Paul Williams, Harrell Holmes, Jr. as Melvin “Blue” Franklin with his intoxicating bass voice, Jalen Harris as Eddie Kendricks, Elijah Ahmad Lewis as David Ruffin, and Harris Matthew as Dennis Edwards excel in their roles as members of the Temptations. Their vocals, dancing and acting are stellar.
Other members of the cast deserve praise as well. Brett Michael Lockley as Al Bryant, Shayla Brielle G. as Mama Rose and Florence Ballard, Traci Elaine Lee as Johnnie Mae and Mary Wilson, Michael Andreaus as Berry Gordy, Najah Hetsberger as Otis’ wife Josephine, Lawrence Dandridge as Smokey Robinson, Deri’ Andra Tucker as Diana Ross, and Joshua Morgan as the group’s manager Shelly Berger.
The remainder of the talented cast and ensemble as well as the orchestra that is co-conducted by Darryl G. Ivey and Jonathan “Smitti” Smith add to the quality of the production.
Robert Brill’s basic scenic design allowed for Peter Nigrini’s projections to depict the cities and venues where the Temptations were touring to provide context to the performances. A conveyor belt worked feverishly to bring all kinds of set pieces and props on stage. Howell Binkley’s lighting design is exceptional and created simulated theatre marquees that brightened the stage and created added visual energy to the production.
Costume Designer Paul Tazewell attired the cast in slick period costumes, particularly the dazzling, colorful suits worn by the Temptations and the gorgeous gowns donned by the Supremes. It is no surprise that the costumes are so magnificent given that Tazewell had won a Tony for costume design for Hamilton.
In all, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations is a thoroughly entertaining experience whether or not you recall the Temptations first-hand. The production features an uber-talented cast that acts proficiently while performing wonderfully memorable songs along the way. If you want to see the show in Baltimore, hurry to get tickets because the show will shuffle off to Buffalo next.
Running time. Two hours and 45 minutes with an intermission.
Advisory: The show contains profanity and adult situations and is not recommended for young children.
Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations runs through May 8 at the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, 12 N. Eutaw St, Baltimore, MD 21201. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at 800-982-ARTS or visit Ticketmaster or the Baltimore Hippodrome.
Photos by Emilio Madrid
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