Ain't Too Proud (musical)
Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations is a 2018 jukebox musical with music and lyrics by The Temptations and a book by Dominique Morisseau. Based on the story of The Temptations, the musical had a series of regional productions and opened at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre in March 2019.
| Ain't Too Proud | |
|---|---|
| The Life and Times of The Temptations | |
 Original Broadway Playbill | |
| Music | The Temptations |
| Lyrics | The Temptations |
| Book | Dominique Morisseau |
| Basis | The life and songs of The Temptations |
| Premiere | August 31, 2017 |
| Productions | 2019 Broadway |
ProductionsEdit
Berkeley Rep (2017)Edit
The musical opened at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, California, on August 31, 2017, for a limited engagement until November 5, 2017. The production was directed by Des McAnuff and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo. The production’s design team included scenery by Robert Brill, costumes by Paul Tazewell, lighting by Howell Binkley, sound by Steve Canyon Kennedy, and projections by Peter Nigrini. The musical was originally set to play through October 8; but was later extended through October 22; and ultimately through November 5. The musical was the highest-grossing production in the theatre’s history.
Washington, DC (2018)Edit
Following its run at Berkeley Rep, the show moved to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC where it ran from June 19, 2018 through July 22, 2018.[1][2]
Los Angeles (2018)Edit
Following its run at the Kennedy Center, the show moved to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California where it ran from August 21, 2018 through September 30, 2018.[3]
Toronto (2018)Edit
Following its run at the Ahmanson, the show moved to the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Ontario where it ran from October 11, 2018 through November 17, 2018.[4]
Broadway (2019)Edit
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The musical opened on Broadway in 2019 at the Imperial Theatre, with previews beginning February 28, 2019 and an opening night on March 21, 2019.[5][6]
Characters and original castEdit
| Character | Berkeley Rep (2017) [7] |
Washington (2018) |
Los Angeles (2018)[8] |
Toronto (2018)[9] |
Broadway (2019) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otis Williams | Derrick Baskin | ||||
| Melvin Franklin | Jared Joseph | Jawan M. Jackson | |||
| Eddie Kendricks | Jeremy Pope | ||||
| Paul Williams | James Harkness | ||||
| David Ruffin | Ephraim Sykes | ||||
| Al Bryant | Jarvis B. Manning, Jr. | ||||
| Tammi Terrell | Nasia Thomas | ||||
| Johnnie Mae Matthews | Taylor Symone Jackson | ||||
| Berry Gordy | Jahi Kearse | ||||
| Smokey Robinson | Christian Thompson | ||||
| Diana Ross | Candice Marie Woods | ||||
| Josephine Miles | Rashidra Scott | ||||
| Shelly Berger | Jeremy Cohen | Joshua Morgan | |||
| Dennis Edwards | Caliaf St. Aubyn | ||||
| Richard Street | E. Clayton Cornelious | ||||
| Lamont | Shawn Bowers | ||||
ReplacementsEdit
Jelani Remy replaced Jeremy Pope on July 9, 2019
Musical numbersEdit
Original Berkeley Rep productionEdit
RecordingEdit
The original Broadway cast recording of Ain't Too Proud was recorded January 19-22, 2019 at Sound on Sound Studios, Montclair, NJ, and digitally released on March 22, 2019. The physical album released on April 19, and a double-LP vinyl was released on June 7.[10]
Awards and nominationsEdit
Broadway productionEdit
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Awards[11][12] | Best Musical | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Derrick Baskin | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Jeremy Pope | Nominated | ||
| Ephraim Sykes | Nominated | |||
| Best Book of a Musical | Dominique Morisseau | Nominated | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Des McAnuff | Nominated | ||
| Best Choreography | Sergio Trujillo | Won | ||
| Best Scenic Design in a Musical | Robert Brill & Peter Nigrini | Nominated | ||
| Best Costume Design in a Musical | Paul Tazewell | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting Design in a Musical | Howell Binkley | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound Design of a Musical | Steve Canyon Kennedy | Nominated | ||
| Best Orchestrations | Harold Wheeler | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Dominique Morisseau | Nominated | |
| Outer Critics Circle Awards[13] | Outstanding Choreographer | Sergio Trujillo | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Orchestrations | Harold Wheeler | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Ephraim Sykes | Nominated | ||
| Drama League Awards[14] | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Nominated | ||
| Distinguished Performance Award | Jeremy Pope | Nominated | ||
| Ephraim Sykes | Nominated | |||
| Broadway.com Audience Awards[15] | Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Male) | Ephraim Sykes | Won | |
| Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Saint Aubyn, Derrick Baskin, James Harkness, Jawan M. Jackson, Jeremy Pope & Ephraim Sykes (principal soloists); Scott M. Riesett (producer) | Pending | |
ReferencesEdit
- ^ " 'Ain't Too Proud' Breaks Kennedy Center Box Office Record" broadwayworld.com, July 23, 2018
- ^ " 'Ain't Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations' Kennedy Center" kennedy-center.org, accessed March 22, 2019
- ^ McNulty, Charles. "Review: 'Ain't Too Proud,' the Broadway-bound musical about the Temptations: Sensational music, scattershot storytelling" Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2018
- ^ Fricker, Karen. " 'Ain’t Too Proud' pays a busy, sometimes breathtaking tribute to the Temptations" The Star, October 17, 2018
- ^ Hipes, Patrick. "Temptations Musical 'Ain't Too Proud' Sets Broadway Dates". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam; McPhee, Ryan. "Read the Reviews for Broadway’s 'Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations'" playbill, March 21, 2019
- ^ "Ain't Too Proud Casting" berkeleyrep.org
- ^ "Cast Announced for 'Ain't Too Proud' at Ahmanson". Center Theatre Group. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "Ain't Too Proud Programme" (PDF). Mirvish. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (February 28, 2019). "Ain't Too Proud, Broadway's New Temptations Musical, Will Release a Cast Album in March". Playbill. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
- ^ "2019 Tony Award Nominations Are Announced". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ "Check out the 2019 Tony Award Nominees!". todaytix.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ Lefkowitz, Andy (April 23, 2019). "Hadestown, Tootsie & Oklahoma! Lead 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ Lefkowitz, Andy (April 17, 2019). "Nominations Announced for 85th Annual Drama League Awards". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ Evans, George (April 19, 2019). "'Be More Chill', 'Pretty Woman' Top Broadway's Audience Choice Awards". Broadway.com. Retrieved May 19, 2019.