![\"(L-R)](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3_0872.Derrick_Baskin_Jeremy_Pope_Jawan_M._Jackson_Ephraim_Sykes_and_James_Harkness_in_AIN_T_TOO_PROUD_photo_by_Matthew_Murphy.jpg\")
<\/a>(L-R) Derrick Baskin, Jeremy Pope, Jawan M. Jackson, Ephraim Sykes, and James Harkness. Photo by Matthew Murphy, as is the big one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n
I have never experienced such a fabulously noisy, enthusiastic, happy standing ovation at the end of an opening night as I did with this one. It felt wonderful to be a part of it. And I was thrilled that the cheering drowned out my very loud sobs at the emotion of it all. The Temps are my all-time favorite R&B group, and apparently everyone else\u2019s, as well, judging by the audience reaction.<\/p>\n
I could not take my attention away from the stage for even a nano-second to jot down any notes for this review, so I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be leaving-out a lot of what went through my mind that night. I had actually assumed that this would be the easiest review to write, ever, because I love the subject matter so much, but there are so many marvelous aspects to this show that I\u2019ll have a very difficult job narrowing it all down for you. So, just trust me when I say that I can\u2019t imagine there being anyone<\/em> who won\u2019t love Ain\u2019t Too Proud<\/em>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the story of the formation of the Motown group the Temptations, and their journey to, and with, fame in the music business. That\u2019s all you need to know.<\/p>\n As background on my part, the greatest concert I have ever seen in my whole life is the Temptations Reunion many years ago. The Greek Theatre people were very good to me back then, so Mr. X and I had front row seats for that bit of history. All the living Temps to that point participated, and it was truly amazing, (a word I very rarely use, and only when it\u2019s warranted.) So I was worried that Ain\u2019t Too Proud<\/em> would be disappointing to us, after having that incredible memory. But this new musical is fantastic! I screamed and cried and hooped and hollered like I was seeing the real<\/em> group. And so did the entire assemblage.<\/p>\n Photo by Matthew Murphy.<\/p><\/div>\n These actors may not be the real dudes<\/em>, but they certainly are the real deals<\/em>. Every person on that Ahmanson stage can sing his or her butt off! And they all dance and act as terrifically as they sing, and everybody\u2019s funny, to boot. (I hate to say it, but these guys dance way better than the actual Temps members ever did!) I kept wondering where all these uber-talented performers have been until now, until I read their bios in the program, and was blown away by all of their outstanding credits!<\/p>\n It was so great to hear all the iconic songs in the Temptations catalogue performed so close to the original versions. I was grateful they didn\u2019t try to \u201cBroadway-ize\u201d them! And the band made them all sound perfect. What incredible musicians this show has!<\/p>\n Photo by Mr. X.<\/p><\/div>\n There were over thirty songs, or at least parts of them, most performed as the group\u2019s actual<\/em> numbers, but some inserted into the narrative instead. Most are the Temps\u2019 hits, but there are also some from the Supremes, and a few from other groups and performers, as well. Mr. X, a doo-wopper from way back, really appreciated the little bit of the Cadillacs\u2019 Gloria<\/em>.<\/p>\n The audience went especially nuts when Rashidra Scott, playing Otis Williams\u2019 wife, Josephine, sang If You Don’t Know Me By Now<\/em>. I thought a guy behind me was going to have a heart attack over it! But it was weird\u2014the song just stopped short in the middle, just as she was getting going. (Several others did that, too, which was sort-of frustrating. But I understand the time constraints of a production such as this one. Jukebox musicals portraying groups with an abundance of famous music can\u2019t give us everything they\u2019ve ever done.)<\/p>\n This is how special this show is\u2014even the opening night audience members who are too young to remember the Temptations\u2019 heyday were going wild! It\u2019s a show to be taken on its own merit, even though it is<\/em> a historical tale.<\/p>\n Speaking of history, even though I wasn\u2019t around for their early days, I have done so much research on the Temps over the years, for various reasons, so I know that most of what is portrayed on stage is the true story of the group. So many stage and film presentations embellish the truth, but this saga has enough real-life<\/em> drama that nothing has<\/em> to be made up. (And we\u2019re not even getting all<\/em> of it! So maybe someday we\u2019ll get to see the sequel, Ain\u2019t Too Proud To Beg…Again<\/em>.)<\/p>\n Derrick Baskin as Temptations founder, Otis Williams.<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019m thrilled for the founder of the group, Otis Williams, (who\u2019s the first and last of the original members,) because Ain\u2019t Too Proud<\/em> is all due to him;\u00a0he put the group together in the first place, and was their guiding force throughout, and then he wrote the book this musical is based on. (And when I knew them way back when, I always had the feeling that he would be the last original Temptation standing.)<\/p>\n Here\u2019s something I found interesting about this show\u2014we fans don\u2019t usually think of performers as having families, especially back then without the way-too-much info we get nowadays.\u00a0 I know in the case of the Temptations, I<\/em> didn’t consider that aspect until I went to Melvin Franklin’s house for a party.\u00a0 (That will be explained in the bonus story\u00a0after<\/em> this review.) But this show highlights Otis\u2019<\/em> family a bit, which humanizes the entire scenario somewhat. Actually, his<\/em> personal history is the only<\/em> one portrayed in this tale, (outside of a tiny bit about David Ruffins\u2019 tumultuous relationship with adorable singer Tammi Terrell,) but Otis deserves<\/em> that extra bit of biography because of everything I listed in the previous paragraph.<\/p>\n The stage before the show begins.<\/p><\/div>\n As the show moves along on a minimally decorated stage, (because nothing more is needed,) there are plenty of projections which help set the scenes. Those were excellent, but I wish they had put the dates<\/em> of the action on there every now and then. That would really be helpful to people who don\u2019t have a crazy detailed memory such as moi<\/em>. And even I<\/em> was a tad confused at times.<\/p>\n Just in case you\u2019re a stickler for all things Temptations, as I<\/em> am, here are the only few disappointments to me about the whole show, but even they did not take away from my enjoyment\u2014they were just puzzlements to me:<\/p>\n ~ They did not do, nor is there even a mention<\/em> of, the very famous Temptations Walk!!! Mr. X and I waited the whole show for it! We had to do it ourselves in the parking lot afterwards to get it out of our systems.<\/p>\n ~ Very longtime, and still current<\/em>, Temp Ron Tyson, was totally left-out of the narrative! How is that even possible, when he\u2019s been a very big part of the group for thirty-five years<\/em>, and is the only later-wave member who\u2019s still with us?!<\/p>\n The curtain call. Photo by Mr. X.<\/p><\/div>\n ~ They did not do a mini-concert at the end, as is done in Jersey Boys<\/em>, (which is also about a famous singing group, circa the same era, if you\u2019ve been living under a rock. And the shows share the same director!) Since Otis Williams was in the audience on opening night, he could have even sung with them! (And he definitely should<\/em> have been brought-up onstage, no matter what! That was a major miss for this production, in my opinion.) A mini-concert would be the perfect ending for Ain\u2019t Too Proud<\/em>, so perhaps after reading this, they\u2019ll add that bit for Broadway. (And then invite me<\/em> to the opening, of course, for coming up with the idea!)<\/p>\n ~ And lastly, this is the worst one to me: They left-out my favorite singer ever, the incredible Ali-Ollie Woodson!!! That is an egregious<\/em> omission! Ali took over as lead singer after Dennis Edwards, and re-invigorated the group. Mr. X and I were shocked that they even found<\/em> him back then, because his voice and soul totally aligned with the original group. But, in defense of Ain\u2019t Too Proud<\/em>, Mr. X and I both said, separately<\/em>, (because he never listens to me when I say something, so he<\/em> said it a few minutes after I<\/em> did, like it was a new idea,) the omission was probably because they could not find anyone to even come close to singing like Ali\u2014that guy was a one-of-a-kind talent who sang with every fibre of his being. I had the extreme good fortune of seeing him perform right up next to him one time, and let me tell you–it was a religious experience.<\/p>\n (L-R) Ephraim Sykes, Jeremy Pope, Jawan M. Jackson, James Harkness, and Derrick Baskin. Photo by Matthew Murphy.<\/p><\/div>\n I have to be honest and say that this show does<\/em> get a tad wordy towards the end, and they could definitely shave at least ten minutes off the whole thing. Or, even better, use that time for the aforementioned mini-concert!<\/p>\n But even with these small issues, Ain\u2019t Too Proud<\/em> is a real winner, on every level. In addition to the terrific tunes, there\u2019s a lot of humor in the show. The only thing that would have made it better, (for only<\/em> me, of course,) is if they had a cute young actress portraying me<\/em> when I opened for them, once upon a time! (That little tale will be at the end of this review, after the show\u2019s info, for those of you who are saying, \u201cWhaaat?!,\u201d including the surviving Temps themselves!!!) And they certainly had room for that bit in the show since they left-out Ali and Ron!<\/p>\n Getting back to being serious, Ain\u2019t Too Proud<\/em> is a show that I feel can be seen multiple times, and something new will be discovered each go-round. It\u2019s thoroughly enjoyable and is theatre at its most excellent. So, Get Ready<\/em> to be on Cloud Nine<\/em> for this non-Ball of Confusion<\/em> that will have you saying I Could Never Love Another<\/em> show like I love this one. It\u2019s not Just My Imagination<\/em> that you\u2019ll be as much of a fan as I<\/em> am. But don\u2019t rush it because You Can\u2019t Hurry Love<\/em>. Okay, If You Don\u2019t Know Me By Now<\/em>, I have to tell you that I\u2019m Gonna Make You<\/em> Love Me<\/em> by stopping writing these puns. And For Once In My Life<\/em> I\u2019m going to finally end this before it gets too long, (although I\u2019m sure that that<\/em> ship has sailed!)<\/p>\n Ain\u2019t Too Proud<\/em>\u00a0running through September 30, 2018<\/strong> As promised above, here\u2019s my personal story with the Temps. (If you\u2019d rather see me speak<\/em> it on my YouTube channel, click here: www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ajpTUWJySe0<\/a>. But you should really read<\/em> it, as well, because the two platforms contain a bit different info.)<\/p>\n Many, many years ago, when I was doing my local L.A. TV series, Karen\u2019s Restaurant Revue<\/em>, the guy who booked the acts for the Beverly Theatre in Beverly Hills called me and asked me to open for Aretha Franklin! (Wow\u2014I had not even realized how full circle this story has come!) Thinking he was kidding, because I was not (and still<\/em> am not) a stand-up comedian, I semi-jokingly replied, \u201cNo thank you, but do you have the Temptations?\u201d And to my shock, he answered, \u201cYes, with the Four Tops! Would you like to open for them, too?\u201d Knowing stand-up was not my forte, (since I had never done it before,) I said, \u201cNot Aretha\u2014just the guys.\u201d And…I did!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n Ahmanson Theatre \u00a0135 N. Grand Ave. \u00a0213-972-4400 \u00a0www.CenterTheatreGroup.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n