Spring Preview: Meet the Men Behind the Brand in Ain't Too Proud
(Photos by Caitlin McNaney | Illustrations by Ryan Casey)
Motown super group The Temptations is a staple of American music. With chart-toppers like “I Can’t Get Next to You,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” “My Girl” and more, these R&B pioneers have earned a rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, in addition to four other Grammy wins. This spring they join the ranks of other music favorites like Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Carole King and Cher with a big-budget Broadway musical telling their story. Ain’t Too Proud stars Derrick Baskin, James Harkness, Ephraim Sykes, Jeremy Pope and Jawan M. Jackson as the Temptations’ Classic Five.
"Everyone knows the brand, but no one knows the men behind the brand," says Jackson, who plays Melvin Franklin Detroit native Dominique Morisseau, who penned the musical's book, researched the group by reading Otis Williams' memoir The Temptations and drew parallels between the civil unrest happening during the band's formative years in the 1960s and now. "She's written a story about young black men during the Civil Rights Movemnt," Sykes, who plays David Ruffin, explains. "They had to hang on tightly to each other, come hell or come high water. This what these men struggled wth."
Baskin, who plays group founder Otis Williams, adds that their choices blazed a trail for others: "There were times when The Temptations would perform in front of segregated audiences. Finally, they stopped. They said, 'We don't want to do that anymore. We, as black male artists, relate to them. We wouldn't have had these opportunites had they not paved the way for us. That makes this story more important to tell."
The group's iconic sound is something that has been handed down through generations since the 1960s. For many fans, the image of those five suited-up gents elevates an expectation of old-school swagger. "We become something else onstage, and we know that we have to surrender to that," Pope, who plays Eddie Kendricks, explains. "We become vessels to be used for a higher calling."
The Ain't Too Proud stars are realizing that their audieces are experiencing the show on different levels depending on how old they are—and both are connecting. "Part of the audience has grown up with this music. Their reaction for me is the most heartwarming because it takes them back to their youth," Baskin says. "You have someone in their 60s or 70s, and they'll talk to you at the stage door. As they're reminiscing, they look like a teenager. I feel like oftentimes when we're on stage singing the music, they're not necessarily hearing us. They're hearing their memories. Then the other reaction is someone who's maybe in their 20s or their teens. To find their surprise about the contributions of this group with things that are relevant to their lives—it's just wonderful."
Between Temptations fandom and the power players behind the Tony-winning musical Jersey Boys (director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo), there are high expectations for Ain't Too Proud this season, With strong bonds built between the new Classic Five onstage and off, the perfomers feel ready. "These men are incredible," Harkness, who plays Paul Williams, says about his co-stars. "The show is the best relay race that I have ever been in in my entire life. It starts with Derrick. Derrick has the baton and he takes off. The baton goes through every single person on that stage until it's handed back to Derrick at the end of the show. And no one drops the baton."
"There's no four, there's no three, there's no two. There's the five of us," Pope adds. "And there is strength in that."
Ain't Too Proud opens at the Imperial Theatre on March 21.
