By Many Broadway productions have found great success by focusing on the lives and music of famous musical artists. Shows like Jersey Boys, Beautiful, American Idiot, Tina, Cher, Jagged Little Pill, On Your Feet!, and MJ: The Musical have captivated audiences with their catchy music, while the stories are often interesting and provide a glimpse into the sometimes sordid lives of celebrities.
Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations follows Otis Williams as he grows up in Detroit and forms the iconic group The Temptations. The group went on to achieve massive success, earning more than 71 Top 40 singles on the R&B chart, including 15 that reached #1. They also had 37 singles hit the Billboard Top 40, with four reaching #1. Like many successful groups, internal conflicts, egos, substance abuse, and sickness often plagued their rise to the top.
Ain’t Too Proud succeeds best when the focus is on the music. The cast, especially the five performers portraying founding members of The Temptations, are incredibly talented. Rudy Foster stands out as Otis Williams, delivering strong vocals and truly excelling as the show’s narrator, delightfully breaking the fourth wall to engage with the audience. James Clanton brings an earnest sweetness to Melvin Franklin the group’s bass singer, while Lowes Moore, as Eddie Kendricks, delivers a beautiful tenor voice filled with the nostalgia of The Temptations’ signature sound. Josiah Travis Kent Rogers brings energetic dance moves and powerful vocals to the role of David Ruffin, especially in “My Girl.” Rounding out the founding members is Bruce Valle as Paul Williams, whose smooth and beautiful voice shines especially in his performance of “For Once in My Life.”
Featuring more than 30 songs by The Temptations and other Motown favorites, the musical is energetic, engaging, and fun to watch. The songs are instantly recognizable for Motown fans and invite the audience to clap along. The lighting, costumes, and set design are dominated by muted tones of black, white, and grey which allows the music to remain the central focus.
Where the musical falters is in its book. Rather than centering on a specific moment or turning point in the group’s career, the story tries to cover all the major events across their decades-long journey. As a result, many storylines are introduced but not fully explored or resolved. At one point, a discussion about contract negotiations and a potential strike is raised but left without a clear conclusion. The show also briefly touches on the Vietnam War and the group’s desire to perform a protest song, which they eventually do with “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today),” but the moment passes too quickly to leave a lasting impact. Even the fights amongst the group seem low-risk and the new members recruited too cleanly to be upsetting. Attempting to fit over 40 years of history into a single production ultimately makes the pacing feel rushed. In the end, it doesn’t give the respect deserved to such an iconic, talented and influential group act as The Temptations.
One unfortunate aspect of opening night was the presence of significant sound issues. The singers were often overpowered by the orchestra, microphones failed to come on in time, and noticeable feedback disrupted several moments. While the sound improved by the second act, the problems were distracting and took away from the overall experience.
Overall, Ain’t Too Proud remains a fantastic opportunity to enjoy live performances of some of Motown’s greatest hits and is great for fans of The Temptations. The musical runs at the Fabulous Fox through May 11th.
Photo © 2024 Joan Marcus