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Ain’t Too Proud, the jukebox musical about the life, times and rise to stardom of the Temptations, is all about the music and the moves.
There is a thin storyline culled from founding member Otis Williams’ autobiography, but it simply serves to link the more than 30 hits from the Temptations’ catalogue. We learn how Williams and his brother Paul recruited Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin and then put their lives and careers into the hands of Motown music mogul Berry Gordy and manager Shelly Berger. There are the squabbles about who fans adore most, as well as Paul’s battles with alcohol, David’s with drugs, Eddie’s with ego, and Melvin’s with arthritis. We see how Otis chose career over family, and the welfare of the group over friendships with his fellow artists. There’s mention of the racial riots in Detroit, segregation and bigotry of the Southern states and the assassination of Martin Luther King, but all this is brushed over quickly to make room for the big musical numbers that just keep coming like a runaway freight train.
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Sergio Trujillo’s original choreography, lovingly recreated for this Broadway Across Canada touring company by Edgar Godineaux, understandably won a Tony Award in 2018 . It’s as demanding as it is spectacular, and the performers have to execute it while belting out those famous Temptations’ songs. For two hours, the audience gets to bask in the electrifying showmanship of the 21 talented cast members.
Marcus Paul James who plays Otis is the musical’s narrator, so he has the added responsibility of telling the story as well as singing and dancing. The few times he is allowed to interact directly with the audience are pure magic. He has so much charm and charisma that often gets dwarfed by the singing prowess of his costars. His performance is so convincing that, at the end of the show when he addresses the audience, they respond as if he really were Otis Williams.
As the explosive, preening David Ruffin who saw himself as the star of the quintette, Elijah Ahmad Lewis is a real powerhouse, and his tenor voice rips into every song he fronts. At the end of the first act, Ruffin is fired from the group, but fortunately there is the reunion tour in the second half to bring Lewis back.
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There is a real wicked delight in the way Jalen Harris’ Eddie Kendricks deals with any form of authority which he also brings to his solos. He’s definitely the thorn in Otis’ side, and eventually he had to go too. Both he and Ruffin tried to have solo careers, and even to form their own version of the Temptations until they were reluctantly welcomed back in for the Reunion Tour.
Harrell Holmes Jr brings a genuine sweetness to Melvin Franklin who was nicknamed Blue. He’s a big man with a deep voice and an even bigger heart, and Holmes exudes warmth and compassion.
As Paul Williams, E. Clayton Cornelious is the troubled soul, trying to subdue his personal demons with alcohol. He has one of the more poignant moments in the show when he sings Stevie Wonders’ For Once in my Life as his departure song.
The lyrics of certain songs are meant to reflect what is happening in the lives of these men, as in the case of Papa Was A Rolling Stone to show how Otis’ dedication to career destroyed his family.
As Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson, Amber Mariah Talley, Shayla Brielle G and Brittny Smith are dynamic singers, but they don’t have the true sound of The Supremes until they sing the Supremes/Temptations duet I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.
As he did with The Four Season’s bio-musical, The Jersey Boys, director Des McAnuff keeps the show moving at a breakneck speed, and he whips up a finale that demands a standing ovation. He also gives Ain’t Too Proud enough dramatic weight to keep it from being simply a loud, brash, lavish, albeit breathtaking tribute show.
Ain’t Too Proud runs at the Jubilee Auditorium until Sunday.
