Review: Song-and-dance men of ‘Ain’t Too Proud’ would make The Temptations proud
Fittingly, “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations” starts off with a song, the first of more than 30 packed into the show at Belk Theater Tuesday night.
No overture. No exposition. Just the men in the classic Motown R&B band singing “The Way You Do The Things You Do.”
And it’s their music — those songs-you-know-by-heart sounds — that propels this addictive jukebox musical through its paces, with strong support by the actors portraying the guys who rotate in and out of the band over the years.
Our guide for the evening is Otis Williams, one of The Temptations’ founders and its last surviving original member. (The show is based on his book.)
The Temptations’ last original member talks Motown, musicals and a request for Denzel
In an assured, lived-in performance by Michael Andreaus, Williams strives to get the band launched, then fights to keep it together, no matter the personal cost to his family or to other members of the group. Singing — he reflects early on, after spending time in jail — will be his salvation.
“Ain’t Too Proud” continues to takes us through the band’s requisite ups and downs, breakups and breakdowns, following the template du jour for jukebox musicals. (Exhibit A: “Jersey Boys”).
Set mostly in the 1960s and ’70s, “Ain’t Too Proud” rolls through the heyday of Motown and the height of a tumultuous time for the country. We feel the strains of a Black band from Detroit striving to be a crossover success with white audiences, while facing racism and gunshots in the Jim Crow South.
As with a number of musicals these days, projected images substitute for actual sets, mainly detailing the Motown logo or the city the group is in, along with a collage of photos.
The actors make you feel like you’re at a classic Temptations concert. They elevate this production of “Ain’t Too Proud” with their singing and dancing. It’s easy to see why Sergio Trujilo’s silky choreography won a Tony Award in 2019.
During a performance of “Shout,” the audience naturally shouted back. Many of the songs are just sampled. But even snippets of the classics — re-created by the pros in the cast — are worth a listen.
Another highlight is Elijah Ahmad Lewis as David Ruffin, the talented but troubled lead singer of “The Classic Temps.” Lewis himself exudes talent, hitting all the right notes on such classics as “My Girl.”
The crowd whooped and cheered whenever Ruffin sang then bounced and went into a split.
Some famous names aturn up, including Jeremy Kelsey’s smooth and savvy Motown founder Berry Gordy and an amusing bit by Omar Madden as The Temptations’ early producer and song writer Smokey Robinson.
A few women also appear briefly, as mothers, wives or girlfriends, as well as the rising, rival Motown stars The Supremes. Quiana Onrae’l Holmes makes the most of her moments as Josephine, Otis’ wife and the mother of their son.
Still, it’s the men who dominate the show. (In real life, there have been 27 guys in The Temptations over the group’s six-decades-and-counting career.)
The 81-year-old Williams, in a recent interview with The Charlotte Observer, said he still gets a big kick out of seeing the his and the band’s story come to life on stage.
Judging by the all the toe tapping, shoulder swaying and strong ovations from the audience, it’s a story that’s going to be around for awhile.
‘Ain’t Too Proud’
What: The jukebox musical about “The Life and Times of The Temptations.”
When: Now through July 30.
Where: Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St., Charlotte.
Tickets: Go to blumenthalarts.org/events.
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