Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Book: Dominique Morisseau
Music and Lyrics: The Legendary Motown Catalog
“Marvellous Motown Musical”
4 / 5
~This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub ~
The Temptations have now been performing for six decades, with multiple top 40 songs and 26 different members being part of the group since its original inception. Legends on the Motown music scene, these musical icons have rightfully earned their spot on a theatrical stage with Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations.
Otis Williams (Sifiso Mazibuko) serves as the show narrator, taking the audience through the ups and downs of the group from the very beginning. As Otis is the only founding member remaining from the Temptations lineup, it’s only natural that he is at the centre of the storyline. Mazibuko allows Otis to appear genuine and likeable, pacing his narration well to allow the story of the band and the tumultuous relationship with its members to truly unfold.
As Otis begins to assemble the band together, the talented cast grows exponentially, as band members are fired, fall sick or move on to pastures new. The rise to fame is never an easy one and this show outlines this in abundance, focusing throughout on the conflicts in the band and its ever-changing line up. Tosh Wanogho-Maud does an impeccable job of portraying David Ruffin’s diva personality, his confident on-stage presence impressing the audience almost as much as his fantastic singing abilities. Cameron Bernard Jones (Melvin Franklin) is one of the more gently portrayed band members, unfortunately leaving the band due to illness as opposed to an ego and power struggle. Jones imitates the baritone voice with fantastic comedic timing and warmly binds the group together along with Otis. Each cast member gets their chance in the spotlight, either with a solo number or with a scene leading up to their departure, and absolutely all of them perform incredibly.
The only thing that feels as though it is lacking in the show is the set design, which feels too stripped back and forgotten about for such a big production. While it could be argued that the stage design is minimal to allow full focus to lie within the performers and their talented vocals, that isn’t something that the creative team would ever need to worry about because each cast member has so much talent that even the boldest, glitziest scenery wouldn’t be able to dampen their shine. Each scene transitions well into the next because of the emptiness of each backdrop but enhancing the surroundings to be more visually engaging, would immensely help to elevate this otherwise well-crafted production.
Although The Temptations Ain’t Too Proud, everyone in this show should feel nothing but pride for this tribute to the marvellous Motown era. Get Ready to Shout from the rooftops about this fabulous performance and Don’t Look Back because this is a jukebox musical to be reckoned with.
Runs until 17 September 2023
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