Now in its first national tour, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations opened a six-day run at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, Feb 13. Certainly, the 2019 Broadway musical has one of the richest R&B songbooks a musical could hope for. It was also directed by Des McAnuff, who struck gold in 2004 directing Jersey Boys — a similar biographical musical about a 1960-born men’s vocal harmony group. Jersey Boys went on to a 12-year run on Broadway and won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Strict comparisons between the two musicals might leave Ain’t Too Proud a little less shiny, but it’s still an energetic treat of a show featuring terrific singers, Tony-winning choreography, sharp scenic and projection design and a great R&B band. Additional virtues are director McAnuff’s lightning-paced storytelling, with its concept of singers narrating the stories as memory tales and the same eye-popping, big finish finale that gets the audience up on their feet. Yet the overall payoff is muted, thanks to an overloaded book by Dominique Morriseau that tries to do too much and ends up feeling thin.
Based on the autobiography of the group’s founder and longtime leader Otis Williams (who at 82 is the only surviving member of the original lineup), the musical tells the story of how The Temptations came together 63 years ago from a mix of different vocal duos and quartets and gradually worked their way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 as one the most successful R&B ensembles in music history.
It wasn’t an easy task: we learn that the members battled various addictions and mental health struggles, as well as egos, but that the group survived by continuously replacing the singers who quit or were fired. We learn that the quintet, with more than a dozen entrances and exits in its long tenure on the charts, always filled the same musical slots — lead, baritone, first tenor, second tenor and bass — with the best available talent. We also learn that the musicians fully understood the power of dance and could execute high-kicking splits in their tight, matching suits. That combination of voice and athletic dance worked long-term magic for The Temptations.
The singers’ personal story starts when Otis (Marcus Andraeus) decides, after serving six months in jail as a 16-year-old, he will pursue a different path: music. The early timeline of his career includes stints with different groups, but eventually Otis teams up with his brother Paul Williams (at this performance, Brian C. Binion) who was already in a group with Eddie Kendricks (the magnetic Jalen Harris). By the early 1960s, Melvin Franklin (Harrell Holmes Jr.) and Al Bryant (Devin Price) joined The Temptations lineup. In 1964, Bryant left the group and lead singer David Ruffin (Elijah Ahmad Lewis) took his place.
Yet not only does the musical try to tell the stories of the constantly rotating members of The Temptations, Morriseau’s book also takes on the history of Motown and its singers and songwriters, as well as civil rights-era struggles. Otis has an ill-fated marriage and a baby. David is in an abusive relationship with fellow Motown star Tammi Terrell (Shayla Brielle G). Paul dies. There are race riots in Detroit. Someone shoots at The Temptations’ bus in the southern U.S.. Martin Luther King dies. It’s simply too much to cram into two hours, 30 minutes, with intermission, so the musical’s first act can sometimes feel like a rambling music-filled documentary. Fortunately, the show’s shorter and less exposition-dense second act is more concentrated, and the lively and polished finale is terrific.
The musical’s 31-song score includes every major Temptations hit, as well as many other Motown classics originally sung by The Supremes, The Five Satins, Jimmy Ruffin and Stevie Wonder. The constant high-energy choreography earned Serjio Trujillo the Tony in 2019, and the costumes by Paul Tazewell and scenic design by Robert Brill richly support the era and its fashions.
Michael Andreaus expertly leads the 21-member cast as Otis, The Temptations’ second tenor. Elijah Ahmad Lewis is wildly charismatic as the talented but troubled lead tenor David Ruffin; Jalen Harris is equally crowd-pleasing as tenor Eddie Kendricks; while Harrell Holmes Jr. is endearingly bluff and kind as bass singer Melvin Franklin; and understudy Brian C. Binion evinces a quiet fragility as baritone Paul Williams.
As a bottom line, the musical is definitely worth seeing. However, it may have been better served with a few straightforward concert sections. It may be important to remember that the show starts on time and late seating is quite late in the show. The finale goes on for quite a bit and continues to build, so ducking out early to avoid exit traffic would be a huge mistake. This is more than just a trip down memory lane, and because of the gravitas of some of the story, it may not be appropriate for young children. The touring cast is very strong, though may lack some of the personal connection experienced in the Broadway production.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission
Ain’t To Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations plays through February 18th 2024 in The Opera House of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC. For tickets call the box office at (202) 467-4600 or purchase them online.
