Emilio Madrid
I was surprised watching Ain’t Too Proud that there were songs I had forgotten I knew by the legendary The Temptations group, but part of that is how much their songs have permeated popular culture. Their rise to fame was also incredibly tempestuous so it makes it an easy fit for this sort of ‘real artist musical’ or ‘jukebox musical’ genre — unlike Mamma Mia but more like Jersey Boys.
The Kennedy Center is a great venue, even if sometimes there may be tall people sitting in front of you. This particular show can get a little loud at times during certain numbers, and there are times flashing lights are turned on the audience, which I found to be a bit annoying and unnecessarily distracting from the performances.
But the music is timeless and boasts a current cast that legitimately channels the great singers they are portraying. The narrator of the show is Otis Williams (sole surviving member of the original group), played by Michael Andreaus and the anchor that keeps it all together. Naturally it’s essentially from his main point of view, but he does get a chance to belt it out occasionally.
Joining him for the majority of the show are deep bass singer Melvin Franklin, played by Harrell Holmes, Jr. who has a similarly deep voice and has some of the most emotional moments with Otis, falsetto Eddie Kendricks, played by Jalen Harris who also pulls off some of the more difficult singing moments, baritone Paul Williams (E. Clayton Cornelious — easily the funniest character in the show with the best dance moves, which is a tough act for anyone but well done here), and complicated lead singer David Ruffin (Elijah Ahmad Lewis — who perhaps gets the most complex emotional moments of all, wringing the great tearful moments from the crowd).
The rest of the ensemble mostly plays multiple roles, but they are consistently great performers — the story itself is pretty engaging as we see the group rise rapidly and struggle through a lot of drama. Michael Andreaus is great as Otis Williams, having to give his own complicated perspective on his own troubles and issues with other members of the band.
The nature of the story means that the show is a bit front-loaded in the first act, and although the second act contains some great, memorable moments (like the entire reunion series) it also compresses much more time leading it to feel a little fast at times, but that’s really the same no matter you see it.
Emilio Madrid
The cast keeps up their energy throughout, livening up potentially quiet moments and maintaining great harmonies from beginning to end. The darker scenes are also handled well and with care, never feeling like they’re hamming it up in the wrong moments. The story also is mostly about these fellows so the female roles aren’t as prominent, but there are a few pretty standout performances — ironically enough, not the ones with The Supremes, which felt more in the background.
It’s a really excellent cast pulling off a difficult trick — passing themselves off as great singers who were great singers in the real world. For the most part the song choices work pretty smoothly, with only one or two specifically diegetic instead of thematic. Definitely a great show if you like musicals, and certainly if you’re a fan of the long lasting music by The Temptations.
Ain’t Too Proud runs about 2 hours and 30 minutes with one 20 minute intermission. Recommended for ages 13 and up (the show contains a few curse words — nothing like Jersey Boys — a brief moment of domestic abuse, and some drug use).
Ain’t Too Proud runs through February 18 at Washington DC’s Kennedy Center. The show’s final two stops are Sarasota, FL and New Orleans, LA. Visit the official website for more information, or use our Ticketmaster link to get tickets (where available).
Ain’t Too Proud On Tour
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
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