Ain’t Too Proud, the new Temptations-inspired musical on stage now at the Ed Mirvish Theatre is a lot. It’s spectacular, for one. It’s also emotional, and detailed almost to a fault.
The musical, with the full title Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, is a Broadway musical that chronicles The Temptations’ journey from Detroit’s streets to their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The production, recognized with 12 Tony Award nominations and the 2019 Tony Award for Best Choreography, explores themes of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal against the backdrop of a decade marked by civil unrest in America.
The soundtrack is filled with hiddens gems to the group’s well-known hits like “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.”
The production features scenes interspersed with narration from Otis Williams (played by Michael Andreaus), a founding member of the band. The show is adapted from Williams’ book.
The iconic “classic five” lineup of the band, featuring Otis along with Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, David Ruffin, and Eddie Kendricks is featured in much of the production. It is through this lens audiences catch glimpses of their tumultuous lives—Otis prioritizing career over family, Paul battling alcohol dependency, and David struggling with drugs, and everyone grappling with the trappings of celebrity and fame.
The narrative also touches on significant historical events like race riots in Detroit and Martin Luther King’s assassination, providing only fleeting insights into their impact on the band before moving on.
The production is filled with humour, sadness and drama. Maybe too much drama for just one musical to contain. But the music is wonderful, and infectious. Almost like a slow build, the talented performers grow and shine until the audience can no longer contain the head bobs and hand claps.
Highlights, of which there are many, include the performances of Jalen Harris as Eddie Kendricks and Elijah Ahmad Lewis as David Ruffin. Each had singular moments that were wonderfully compelling. The types of performers you just can’t take your eyes off.
Although Ain’t Too Proud is ambitious in the amount of narrative terrain to cover, it would have done well to trim down some of the side stories that branch off from the main thrust of The Temptations. But, they do serve the purpose of demonstrating just how all-encompassing the band was and how all-powerful. Everything fell to the side: families, health, and more.
Was it a story of greed? The Temptations became a huge money maker for Motown Records and continue to perform in some capacity to this day. Or was it story of a band that was so good and so important to people that it became too big and too important to fail?
The story ends with a too long recounting of how the various members of the band, especially Ruffin and Kendricks, died under tragic or just plain sad circumstances. The intent was to show that the band, The Temptations, outlasted all.
Not exactly the best way to end a transcendent musical experience, but despite the emotional ending, the joy of the music broke through and the crowd showered the performers with appreciation and love. Ain’t Too Proud is a journey, and like most of life’s journeys, it isn’t always easy but the highs far outshine the lows. And the moments of sheer musical bliss in Ain’t Too Proud are so worth it.