By Jennifer Mustoe
Dating myself, I remember seeing The Temptations from time to time on television, and ain’t too proud is so much more than one of their performances back in the day. From the first rousing number “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” to the final rendition of “You’re My Everything,” you will laugh, clap, sing along (I did!), and fall in love with the men who blasted The Temptations to the top of every chart imaginable. They became one of the most famous boy bands ever, and ain’t too proud shows us why.
In a magnificent portrayal of The Temptations’ creator Otis Williams, Michael Andreaus embraces this essential role. Williams was the lifeblood of this famous group and we love Andreaus as he sings beautifully and narrates the ups and downs The Temptations lived. One of the major themes in the musical, and indeed the group, is the whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. Williams repeats this often in the show, and Andreaus’ repeating of it struck a chord in me every time.
And the notion of putting the group first and members not wanting to star is one of the biggest struggles several of the members of The Temptations face. The list of actors is long, but all play integral parts as The Temptations’ story unfolds. Each one had such incredible voices and some sweet moves by associate choreographer Edgar Godineaux. I was mesmerized. Music Direction/Conductor Jonathan “Smitti” Smith and Music Coordinator John Miller took The Temptations’ songs–30 of them–and made them shine.
Because this show is greater than a sum of its parts, here is the list of The Temptations:
Paul Williams (E. Clayton Cornelious), Melvin Franklin (Harrel Holmes, Jr.), Eddie Kendricks (Jalen Harris), and David Ruffin (Elijah Ahmad Lewis) are the original members. Wow! What powerful sounds and beautiful dancing these men show us.
Other players of the time included in the musical are Smokey Robinson (Omar Madden), Diana Ross (Amber Mariah Talley), Mary Wilson (Traci Elaine Lee), and Florence Ballard (Shayla Brielle G.) who also stars as Tami Terrell. Again, I remember these wonderful folks who are famous as being crossover artists as well as wildly successful Motown performers.
The beautiful costumes by Costume Designer Paul Trazwell and wig and hair design by Charles G. LaPointe bring authenticity and such cool style to this slick musical. It was as if I watching this on the television, but of course, it is in color. Sound Design by Steve Canyon Kennedy, Lighting Design (with its backgrounds of where The Temps played–so effective and informative), and Scenic Design by Robert Brill create a fantastical tribute to Detroit, where it all started, to the many places that are important to move the story along.
Signs of the times: black oppression and violence, the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Vietnam war are addressed. To me, this is a cruel and sad reminder that these issues are still frankly awful and far too prevalent. Though The Temptations members were warned that putting these topics in their music (mostly by their managers who were interested in the bottom line,) it is to this sensitive men’s credit that they took a stand. Further, how many attending aint too proud noticed so few Black people in the audience? As mentioned, in their heyday, many people listened to the “Temps'” music, but still didn’t attend their concerts and indeed, abused and threatened The Temptations members. Have things improved since? Some. Maybe. But we as a United States citizenry (and a world population) need to do so much better.
Williams remarks in his introduction that the world of fame and the incredible rise in popularity The Temptations experienced had its costs. Alcohol and drug addiction (that Williams absolutely did not practice), divorce and the inability to truly parent children, health issues, deaths from the rough traveling on the road, sadly, even suicide, and more troubled the lives of band members and their families.
I could go on and on about the fine attributes and many triumphs of ain’t too proud The Life and Times of THE TEMPTATIONS, but I simply insist that this is a show you must not miss. You don’t have to be a contemporary of the times to love their music. And in fact, they still perform–the band has had 25 members through the years to complete the five members.
Finally, I will add, I wanted to go to Wikipedia to research the band but refrained. ain’t too proud is a stand alone jukebox musical as a tribute and story. I had some questions about their real lives, and so forth, but that is for later. For now, I’m humming “My Girl”, “Come See About Me”, and so many more wonderful tunes. Go see ain’t too proud The Life and Times of THE TEMPTATIONS for a trip down memory lane, or a fantastic evening of wonderful, catchy, dreamy music.
Broadway Across America and Zions Bank/Broadway at the Eccles present ain’t too proud The Life and Times of THE TEMPTATIONS, book by Dominique Morisseau, music and lyrics from The Legendary Motown Catalog, based on the book The Temptations by Otis Williams with Patricia Romanowski.
George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theater, 131 Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah
January 10-15, 2023, times vary
Eccles Theater Website
Purchase Tickets at arttix.org
Eccles Theater Facebook Page
The Temptations Facebook Page
ain’t too proud musical Facebook Page
The Temptations website
Photo Credit: © 2021 Emilio Madrid
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