By John Hayden
When I was a kid, my mom took me to a drive-in restaurant called Bill’s Fabulous 50s. Waitresses wearing poodle skirts would roller skate up to our car with our burgers, fires, and cherry cokes, and hang the tray from the driver’s side window. Each spot had a personal jukebox with music from the era.
This happy memory from my childhood came roaring back as I watched Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. While they got their start as a group in the 60s, I remember some of their early stuff on the jukebox selections at Bill’s. (10-year-olds don’t know exact release years and, apparently, Bill didn’t care).
Their music helped define a generation and still remains as the gold standard for R&B. Ain’t Too Proud is a little history, some no
stalgia, and a whole lotta fun. With 31 songs, this musical moves. Most tunes are from The Temptations, but there are a few from other artists, most notably The Supremes. Those vignettes stand out for three reasons: 1) They highlight competition within the Motown label 2) Female voices standout in a very male-centric production and 3) The music of The Supremes is just awesome and the actresses singing the roles do the music justice.
Over about 2&½ hours (a 75 minute first act, 15 minute intermission, and a 60 minute second act) we go on a musical journey showing the struggles to gain fame and the greater struggles that accompany the goal.
The most notable performance comes from Marcus Paul James, who plays Temptations founder Otis Williams. James is on stage for all but about four minutes of the entire show. In addition to a lot of singing, Williams serves as narrator, breaking the “fourth wall” to speak directly with the audience throughout. James connects with the audience from the first number and shows good acting range taking us through the highs and lows of The Temptations’ history.
The epilogue notwithstanding, the musical covers about 20 years. Kudos to the props and wardrobe coordinators. Sets seamlessly move in and out and I can only imagine the chaos backstage as the actors quickly go from one period outfit to the next.
The weakest part of the show is that we only learn a little about each part of their journey. Formation of the group is pro forma, issues of drug use, domestic violence, alcoholism, the physical toll performing takes on the body, marriages, and more are all quickly touched upon before moving on. This is more a nod to the reality of covering such a large time span than wanting to gloss over the ugly parts. However, Williams, as narrator and last surviving member of The Temptations tends to get the least amount of introspection.
That aside, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations is a fun night at the theater and an excellent chance to work on your chair dancing skills!
Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations is presented by Broadway in Fort Lauderdale, and is at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday, February 20, 2022.
