The musical’s portrayal of the man was validated by the legend himself, when he took the stage on press night to express his love for Detroit and share a warm hug with the group’s longtime manager Shelley Berger (played by Reed Campbell in the musical), eliciting a new round of cheers and tears from the enthusiastic audience. However, any biopic is only as good as its subject, and Otis Williams fills the bill as an incredibly talented musician and a kindhearted human being who genuinely cared about the people in his life. The simple, primarily black-and-white set by Robert Brill sets the mood without overshadowing the real stars of the show, the songs and the musicians who bring them to life so impressively. Lawrence Dandridge plays a hilarious Smokey Robinson, and Traci Elaine Lee makes a big impression in her small role as feisty Johnnie Mae Matthews, one of the group’s early managers. The other cast members are equally stellar, especially Elijah Ahmad Lewis as golden-voiced David Ruffin, Jalen Harris as Eddie Kendricks, Harrell Holmes Jr. While Broadway is usually the pinnacle for a musical, Detroit is the place to be for this show, an homage to the hometown of the Temptations and the groundbreaking Motown sound.ĭirected by Des McAnuff ( Jersey Boys ) and named for the 1966 hit “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” the show features more than two dozen classic Temptations songs, performed by a supremely talented cast led by Marcus Paul James as Otis Williams, who narrates the behind-the-scenes story of these gifted albeit troubled musicians. Sergio Trujillo’s amazing dance numbers resulted in a well-deserved win for Best Choreography. and Canada, Ain’t Too Proud made its Broadway debut in 2019, garnering 11 Tony Award nominations. 28, the show, written by native Detroit playwright Dominique Morisseau, is based on founder Otis Williams’ 1988 memoir “The Temptations.”Īfter opening in California in 2017 and playing in theaters across the U.S. Playing at the Detroit Opera House through Aug. If you aren’t a fan of Motown’s superstar group at the start of Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations, you will be by the time the curtain falls on this spectacular show. (Emilio Madrid) After opening in California in 2017 and playing in theaters across the U.S.
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