Ephriam Sykes, Jawan M. Jackson, Jeremy Pope, Derrick Baskin, and James Harkness of "Ain't Too Proud"
(Matthew Murphy)
Another jukebox musical is comin' to town! Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations will bring the incredible true story of the greatest R&B group of all time to Broadway in Spring 2019 at the legendary Imperial Theatre. Currently the theatre is home to Carousel which closes on September 16th.
Ain’t Too Proud opens at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles on August 24th, where performances continue through September 30, before heading to Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre October 11-November 17, 2018.
This thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal is set to the beat of the group’s treasured hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” and so many more.
Ain't Too Proud is the electrifying new musical that 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 an amazing 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.
The creative team includes Kennedy Prize-winner playwright Dominique Morisseau, Two-time Tony winner Des McAnuff who directs, choreography by Olivier Award winner Sergio Trujillo, set design by Robert Brill, costumes by Paul Tazewell, lighting by Howell Binkley, sound design by Tony Award winner Steve Canyon Kennedy, projection design by Drama Desk Award winner Peter Nigrini, orchestrations by Harold Wheeler, and music direction by Kenny Seymour.
Leading the L.A based production as The Temptations is Derrick Baskin as Otis Williams, James Harkness as Paul Williams, Jawan M. Jackson as Melvin Franklin, Jeremy Pope as Eddie Kendricks, and Ephraim Sykes as David Ruffin. Ain’t Too Proud also features Esther Antoine, Saint Aubyn, Shawn Bowers, E. Clayton Cornelious, Rodney Earl Jackson Jr., Taylor Symone Jackson, Jahi Kearse, Jarvis B. Manning Jr., Joshua Morgan, Rashidra Scott, Nasia Thomas, Christian Thompson, Curtis Wiley, and Candice Marie Woods.
Full Broadway casting has not yet been announced or confirmed.