Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations (NYC)

"As impressive as their believable characterizations and extraordinary vocal talents is the cast’s dazzling execution of Trujillo’s killer choreography...Enhanced by an artistic design that is at once dazzling and refined...A stellar production that elevates the quality of jukebox musicals with its engaging story and direction, top-notch performances, sophisticated design, and a selection of high-voltage choreographed hits that keeps the legacy of Motown alive." Full Review

"This jukebox musical not only has life, it also has wit, intelligence, while also looking stunning and full of energy...It’s as funny, revealing and moving as it is hummable and toe-tapping...Music is the route to personal salvation as well as fame and success, with Morisseau excellent at elevating detail amid the grand sweep...Instead of telling these storylines in an overwrought style, or even telling them at length, Morisseau and McAnuff figure out a lean, clever middle way." Full Review

"Buoyed by the suave choreography of Sergio Trujillo and thrill-a-minute performances by such stars-in-the-making as Jeremy Pope and Ephraim Sykes, 'Ain’t Too Proud' proves to be two or three cuts above the standard-issue anthology pop musical...The propulsive narrative of 'Ain’t Too Proud' not only reflects Morriseau’s understanding of how to invest an audience in the Temptations’ emotional spirals, but also McAnuff’s savvy at packing the music into every available nook and cranny." Full Review

"Shrewd direction of Des McAnuff, with sensational choreography by Sergio Trujillo...While honoring all the expected biomusical clichés, which include rolling out its subjects’ greatest hits in brisk and sometimes too fragmented succession, this production refreshingly emphasizes the improbable triumph of rough, combustible parts assembled into glistening smoothness...As for the performance of those songs...they’re pretty close to perfection." Full Review

"Carves out its own unique place in the genre, most especially when it’s up on its feet singing and dancing...Thankfully, Director Des McAnuff put the songs front and center, bringing out the best in his outrageously talented company...'Ain’t Too Proud' ranks pretty high as jukebox musicals go. Not only is it vastly entertaining, it reminds us how the best of Motown was able to prove that music could be colorblind even if the rest of the world wasn’t." Full Review

"Morisseau sticks close to the source, and as the action propels forward, one can understand Williams’ decades-long struggle to keep five big personalities in the spotlight...Deftly navigates between the personal and the public under McAnuff’s swift guidance...'Ain’t Too Proud' spoonfeeds its soul food, and audiences will eat it up...For those who can snag a ticket to 'Ain’t Too Proud' while its original Broadway company remains intact, you’re in for something wholly spectacular." Full Review

"What makes 'Beg' memorable is the sheer overwhelming talent of the cast. Even if no one character has enough time or space in the script to fill in the contours of a full personality beyond a few fast details they can still bring every sweet harmony and cross-step...It’s hard to feel the real impact of those losses in a show that has to cover so much ground...But it’s also hard to remember a closing as joyful as the one 'Beg' builds to." Full Review

"As jukebox musicals go this is one of the stronger ones...Act I follows the more typical jukebox musical pattern by throwing out a lot of exposition...But things balance out much better in Act II...Here is where 'Ain't Too Proud' stands out from other jukebox musicals, by bringing to life the individual members of a five-person group and by allowing us to follow their ups and downs, even if by necessity, their stories are condensed to fit the form." Full Review

"Musically, however, the show is on much surer footing. One cannot underestimate the invaluable contributions of the other men playing the so-called 'classic five': the electrifying Sykes as the egotistical if supremely talented singer David Ruffin; the extremely charismatic and angelic-voiced Pope as the strong-willed Eddie Kendricks; the fleet-footed and intensely likeable Harkness as Paul Williams; and the endearing Jawan M. Jackson as the usually agreeable Melvin Fredericks." Full Review

"Sure, there are craft issues with a show that's more narrated than dramatized...But as a fan experience, this high-energy tribute delivers big time...Propulsively directed by bio-musical specialist Des McAnuff...The briskly paced production frequently generates the excitement of a terrific concert...Even if Morisseau doesn't dodge showbiz clichés about fame and fulfillment not always going hand in hand, her book recounts the group's ups and downs with clarity and emotional involvement." Full Review

“Based on Otis Williams’ autobiography...Morisseau has fashioned a book that doesn’t always stick to the facts...The Motown music– mostly from Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield– is what propels the show. The orchestra, which is on stage behind the action, is sensational. And the actors are just knockouts...’Ain’t Too Proud’ shows off a phenomenon.” Full Review

"While not exactly profound or original, it makes for slick, straightforward, tuneful and altogether pleasant entertainment...An effort was made to bring up unsavory details including drug and alcohol addiction, physical abuse and violence, juvenile delinquency, family abandonment and racial prejudice. But by and large, this remains a by-the-numbers, self-glorifying, sanitized account of the band’s life and times...The cast is uniformly strong." Full Review

"In Otis’ narration, the lives of the men behind the voices are generally reduced to one or two digestible traits...Inner lives are given only cursory glimpses, as much of the book by Dominique Morisseau gets caught up documenting the group’s shuffling roster of members...But then, the Temptations are beloved for their soaring vocals, smooth moves and slick suits. Director Des McAnuff sets the production whizzing and spinning with ease like a classic record on a turntable." Full Review

"Sergio Trujillo’s choreography is a thrilling upgrade of the group’s trademark dips, snaps, splits, sways and twirls. The performers are talented enough as singers and dancers to be members of the actual Temptations...The general outline of rising to the top and falling from grace, feels overly familiar. And with so many songs and so many incidents to get through, there is little time to keep the story from coming off as generic...The show’s savviest move is in the casting." Full Review

"Thrillingly performed and dramatically static...The book is a cavalcade of banalities and bromides...So why see 'Ain’t Too Proud'? For the songs, of course, and the undiluted pleasure of watching five superb singers and dancers perform them...The choreography is a little more athletic than what the Temps actually performed and Sykes an Alvin Ailey-trained dancer is electric as is his every vigorous pas de deux with the microphone stand. No one should be too proud to applaud that." Full Review

"The musical numbers offer more exhilarating entertainment than any delivered in this format since 'Jersey Boys'...Morisseau’s libretto ends up resting heavily on platitudes...The songs are the draw, and on that count the musical delivers potently and consistently...If none of the virtuosic performances in 'Ain’t Too Proud' match the effortless sweetness and soulfulness of the original recordings, the abundance of talent and energy onstage is something to marvel at in its own right." Full Review

"Moving quickly past the early successes, it covers familiar territory — the clashing egos, the failed relationships, the debilitating excesses as the stress of life on the road leads to drink and drugs...Told through the deep, memorable Motown catalog, the show, directed by Des McAnuff, works best when it relies on great songs. Choreographer Sergio Trujillo gives the singers slick moves considerably more polished than the originals ever managed." Full Review

"'Ain’t Too Proud' mostly accomplishes what so many of the lesser examples of this genre haven’t – a fine cast performs beloved songs, performs them well enough to conjure and honor the people they’re playing and the songs they’re singing, and adds enough Broadway dazzle...That the deaths carry little dramatic punch is no fault of the primary cast, each of whom is given little more than a trait or two in place of a fully developed character." Full Review

"'Ain’t Too Proud' isn’t too original, but it should appeal to fans of the Temptations...The 'Ain’t Too Proud' book is a mile wide and an inch deep. In adapting the memoir of Otis Williams, the lone survivor of the original Temptations, there’s lots to cover and less leeway for shifting perspectives...My vote for most exciting Broadway Temptation is newcomer Jeremy Pope. With his sinewy dancing and falsetto...'Ain’t Too Proud' may be an imperfect vehicle, but Pope is going places." Full Review

"A slick but ultimately plodding trek through the complicated history of the popular Motown group...The performers, given the hard task of revivifying the parade of Temptations hits, as well as re-creating the group’s harmonies and its famously suave dance moves, are terrific...'Ain’t Too Proud,' respectable as a dramatic chronicle, and musically enjoyable as it is, could certainly do with a few injections of flair." Full Review

"No matter how much you may chafe at the clunky machinery of Broadway’s latest jukebox biomusical, 'Ain’t Too Proud,' the hits just keep coming, distracting your critical faculties with zaps of R&B greatness...The problem with telling the story of the Temptations is that there isn’t a clear central story to tell...As musical theater, 'Ain’t Too Proud' could generously be described as shameless. But as an evening of musical entertainment, it ain’t too shabby." Full Review

"Anyone who’s seen the earlier jukebox shows 'Jersey Boys' or 'Motown: The Musical' is bound to feel a dull sense of déja vu...Morisseau’s script essentially gives each man one main trait...The thrill is watching the Temptations find their collective voice, tight harmonies and moves...The songs light up the stage. That’s a good thing, since much of the production is drenched in gray...A big plus is Sergio Trujillo’s choreography, with its dazzling spins and splits and piston-precise steps." Full Review

"Derrick Baskin’s impersonation of Otis Williams defines the word 'innocuous,' even though late in the musical he is accused of being a control freak...If only Ruffin/Sykes were narrating 'Ain’t Too Proud.' For one thing, we’d be spared the cliched build-up to the group’s success and the endless parade of funerals at the end...McAnuff’s direction of 'Ain’t Too Proud' gives us both the alluring razzle-dazzle and the underlying nightly grind of touring." Full Review

"More 'Summer'-conventional than 'Jersey Boys'-fresh. But polished performances, slick choreography and a slate of 31 Motown tunes should satisfy audiences who might not be looking for probing storytelling, as long as the show delivers well-performed hits. That it does...The script delivers clichés and melodrama...At least things don’t drag, thanks to McAnuff’s fast-paced direction." Full Review

"While I found this new musical to be a surprisingly glum affair, I am also happy to give credit where it's due. No new show has a better grasp of what its target audience wants than this one does...'Ain't Too Proud' feels like a nearly three-hour PowerPoint presentation, only skimming the surface and rarely finding any depth...With more substance, 'Ain't Too Proud' would have been a better show, but it gives the audience what it wants — amazing songs, excellently performed." Full Review