‘Ain’t Too Proud’ brings magic of Motown to stage
There is a magic to the music of Motown. People loved it back when it was current (1958-1975 or so) and they love it now. The close harmonies of the singing groups and the terrific bands that backed them up are still favorites to many Americans.
“Ain’t Too Proud” is a Broadway show that tells the story of one of the most popular groups of the period, The Temptations – simply called The Temps to many fans.
The show opens at Wharton Center on Tuesday.
Starring in the role of Melvin Franklin, the man with the distinctive bass voice of the group, is Saginaw native Harrell Holmes. When he called me for an interview, it wasn’t hard to know who was on the other end of the line. Holmes’ voice sounded dark, rich and melodious – like nobody I know.
Currently, Holmes is living his dream, singing the songs every night of his favorite group with cool costumes to sold out houses. His infatuation with The Temptations began when he was very young.
“I saw the movie about the Temptations when I was six and I was obsessed. After the movie I just started singing the songs all the time.”
Holmes’ mother was a RN and his father worked at GM Delphi. When his mother saw him singing “My Girl” and the other Temps hits, she told him to go on a talent show. He did and he won the third grade talent show.
Things didn’t stop there. Holmes said, “When I was 8 or 9, I put a group together with with other boys my age. We bought matching suits and we had lots of gigs all over Michigan. We called ourselves The Little Temptations. We even sang for Gov. Grandholm. I did the singing, and the other guys did the dancing and the background singing.
“Being in this tour, I feel like I’ve come full circle.”
The family moved to Los Angeles when Holmes was 12. Although he loved to sing, he chose the sports track in high school, playing both football and basketball. He attended AMDA (American Music and Dramatic Academy) after high school, But he went with to the conservatory concentration rather than theater.
One of his friends learned about “Ain’t Too Proud” when the show was on a pre-Broadway tour in LA. He brought Holmes to see it. “I was blown away. I felt that I had to be in it and be on the stage.”
The show did well on Broadway, even won a Tony Award for choreography, but COVID forced it to close, although the producers immediately planned a U.S. tour. “There was an open audition and I put my hat in the ring. Because of COVID, it was a long process. After two years, I finally got the part.”
The problem was that throughout his music life, Holmes was never in a play, at AMDA or high school. This made things difficult when he flew to New York to prepare for his theatrical debut.
“On the second day of rehearsals I almost had a panic attack. I had the vocal parts down, but the dancing and acting was difficult. The rehearsals were extremely intense – eight hours a day, every day for one month. There are 30 songs and 12 costume changes. I had to work very hard.”
The show opening last December, but the demands of performing are still there for Holmes. “It’s such a visible show. It never gets easy. You constantly have to focus. I’ve never performed so much – eight shows a week. It’s got great music and a great story to tell. It’s tough, but I love every minute.”
To go
●“Ain’t Too Proud, The Life and Times of the Temptations”
●June 7-June 12, Wharton Center.
●Tickets from $39, 517 432 2000 or 1 800 WHARTON or whartoncenter.com
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: ‘Ain’t Too Proud’ brings magic of Motown to stage
