It's time for my review of Ain't Too Proud.Ain't Too Proud follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and unmistakable harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts creating 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 reaching number one. The rest is history — how they met, how they rose, the groundbreaking heights they hit, and how personal and political conflicts threatened to tear the group apart as the United States fell into civil unrest. This story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal is set to the beat of the group’s many hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” and a dozen more.
Having not grown up in the era of Motown, the music of The Temptations is not as familiar to me as it would be for fellow audience members. My only exposure to such music is through my Mother, as well as the recent Motown the Musical, which had a successful three year run in London's West End. Despite not being too familiar with the music prior to entering the Imperial Theatre, however, I still very much enjoyed a number of the songs. A few of my personal favourites of Ain't Too Proud's musical score included 'My Girl', 'Get Ready' and 'Just My Imagination', all of which were unforgettable. I was also rather fond of the Supremes Medley, which served as a good, however brief, diversion from the main story.
Throughout history there have been over 20 singers to join the Temptations. As the band's leading singer observes early on in the show, “sometimes Temp stood for temporary.” Ain't Too Proud, however, largely focuses on the "Classic 5" line-up, which consisted of Otis Williams, James Harkness, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin. These well-known singers were portrayed by Derrick Baskin, James Harkness, Jawan M. Jackson, Jeremy Pope and Ephraim Sykes, respectively, all of which were exceptionally talented. All five performers are triple threats; they were talented actors, gifted singers and skilled dancers. Portraying real well-known people such as these can be a difficult task, and yet they are more than capable of pulling it off. Each and every one of them threw themselves into the role and embodied their characters flawlessly. After watching the show, I took the decision to listen to a number of Temptations songs, and in comparison the performers sound very much alike to their real-life counterparts. Their natural ability to harmonise with one another was also rather impressive. Furthermore, their dance abilities were superlative. The choreography is quite intricate, but they completely nailed each and every routine. A special mention must be given to Ephraim Sykes, who was able to pull off striking scissor splits. These five performers really were outstanding, and were likely the main reason as to why I enjoyed Ain't Too Proud as much as I did.
My one slight criticism for Ain't Too Proud is its book. There were certain elements of the story that felt somewhat cliched in comparison to other biographical jukebox musicals. Having seen Four Seasons musical 'Jersey Boys' and Kinks musical 'Sunny Afternoon', I couldn't help but notice the similarities between the storylines. Such similarities may be unavoidable however, due to the fact that the majority of musical groups have origin stories that are much alike. Despite this, I still felt it was a marvellous production.
One of the show's best aspects is its choreography, which has been created by Sergio Trujillo. Trujilo recently won a Tony Award for his work on the show and deservedly so. This up-beat and fast-paced choreography was awe-inspiring. It is intriguing to watch, and faultlessly carried out by a talented ensemble. The costumes, designed by Paul Tazewell, were magnificent. They were well-suited to the era in which Ain't Too Proud is set, thus helping to transport the audience back to the 1960s and become fully immersed. The lighting, designed by Howell Blinkey, was also admirable and was particularly impressive during the use of spotlights, which made the show feel as if it were a real-life concert.
Now for my final verdict on Ain't Too Proud. I give Ain't Too Proud...
Whilst I took certain issues with the book, I simply cannot deny that it is a remarkable production. For me personally, it was the cast full of triple threats that were worth the ticket price alone; they really were quite something.
Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.
Thanks for reading!
-The Reviewer
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