'Ain't Too Proud' Tells The Story of The Temps

L-R: Ephraim Sykes, Jawan M. Jackson, Jeremy Pope, Derrick Baskin and James Harkness
in “Ain't Too Proud,” presented by Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre
through September 30. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

By Darlene Donloe

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, is one of the best jukebox musicals to ever grace a stage.   The show is currently playing at the Ahmanson Theater.

From the moment the actors, portraying members of the legendary Motown group, step on the stage, there is nonstop energy, excitement, and, of course, music.

Seamlessly, the actors/singers glide in and out of The Temptations hits: The Way You Do The Things You Do, Ball of Confusion, Cloud Nine, Runaway Child, Running Wild, Get Ready, Just My Imagination, and, of course, Ain’t Too Proud, while telling the group’s sometimes scandalous saga.

Taken from the book by Dominique Morisseau and based on the book entitled, The Temptations by Otis Williams with Patricia Romanowski, Ain’t Too Proud tells the story of The Temptations - warts and all.  We see them go from a ragtag bunch of guys in Detroit trying to get a label and a hit record – to become Motown’s biggest selling group. We hear and see David Ruffin’s descent into a life of drug use. We see Paul Williams’ struggle. He eventually committed suicide. We see Otis try to hold on to a marriage and fatherhood – to no avail. We see Eddie Kendricks grow weary of the group, his departure, return and departure again.  One by one we watch as several of the Temptations make their eternal transitions.

Apparently, there were 24 different members of The Temptations over the years. In fact, at one time, there were two different groups touring the country – one headed by Otis Williams and the other helmed by ousted members Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin.

Some of the more interesting anecdotes happen when Otis Williams’ character shares how the group grew weary of an ousted Ruffin showing up at their shows and jumping on stage to join the group.  Williams’ character also talks about how much the group disliked the song, Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone until it became a huge hit. 

The show is a miniature version of the Motown, The Musical. That's because, in order to tell the story of the Temptations, you have to bring in other powerhouse acts that graced the enviable roster. For instance, The Supremes.  You also can’t talk about the Temptations without talking about Smokey Robinson who penned several of their hits and Norman Whitfield, who also wrote some of the group’s legendary songs.

Des McAnuff’s (Jersey Boys, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, The Who’s Tommy) direction is solid – even though he sometimes cuts some high-energy songs in order to interject more dialogue. He has his actors and the music seamlessly gliding from one scene to the next.  He also seems to effortlessly fly in scenes.

The Broadway-bound show is guided and narrated by Derrick Baskin, who plays Otis Williams, who founded The Temptations and is the last surviving original band member.  Baskin is not only a stalwart singer, he has equally impressive acting chops. As the narrator of his own story, he effectively moves the story along, occasionally interjecting bits of hilarity to the proceedings.

L-R: Christian Thompson, Saint Aubyn, Ephraim Sykes (center), Jeremy Pope, Derrick Baskin and Jawan M. Jackson in Ain't Too Proud, which is being presented by Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre through September 30.

All of the actors portraying members of The Temptations bring this story to life.  The acting is on point, the choreography is brisk and exciting, and the music – well, the music speaks volumes.

There are some standouts in the show, including all of the actors playing Temptations: Baskin as Otis Williams, Jeremy Pope, who kills it as Eddie Kendricks; James Harkness as Paul Williams; Ephraim Sykes as David Ruffin; Jawan M. Jackson, who drops the mic as Melvin Franklin and Rashidra Scott, who is fantastic as Otis Williams’ wife, Josephine.  Sykes’ voice as Ruffin seemed strained as the show went on. Not sure if it was intentional to show how Ruffin’s voice may have suffered due to drugs, or whether the forcefulness with which Sykes sang – took its toll by Act II.

The lighting is spot on (pun intended). The sound is a bit muffled in places but doesn’t take away from the power of the music. The costumes are sufficiently chic and splashy and the set is fluid and vivid.

Ain’t Too Proud, directed by Des McAnuff, stars Derrick Baskin, James Harkness, Jawan M. Jackson, Jeremy Pope, Ephraim Sykes, Jarvis B. Manning, Jr., Nasia Thomas, Taylor Symone Jackson, Jahi Kearse, Christian Thompson, Candice Marie Woods, Rashidra Scott, Joshua Morgan, Saint Aubyn, E. Clayton Cornelious, and Shawn Bowers.

Overall this is a FUN-tastic show, with a great cast, show-stopping music, fantastic set design, sound design, and lighting.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), Ain’t Too Proud gets an E (excellent).

Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission.

Ain’t Too Proud, Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave. L.A., 8 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays, through Sept. 30; Tickets: $30-$160 (subject to change)

Information: (213) 972-4400 or www.centertheatregroup.org