| 'Ain't Too Proud,' the Temptations musical: 'So get ready,' here it comes ... | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 10:00 pm EDT 10/10/17 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 09:50 pm EDT 10/10/17 | |
| In reply to: Will we see Dreamgirls or Ain't Too Proud This Season? - Gator 06:30 pm EDT 10/09/17 | |
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| I don't have any intel or insider info, but I'd be surprised if ''Ain't Too Proud'' doesn't land on Broadway this season, maybe this spring if the right theater is available. It got pretty good reviews and has been doing blockbuster box office at Berkeley Rep, where it's having its out-of-town tryout. The theater announced the other day that ''Ain't Too Proud'' is its highest-grossing production in its nearly 50-year history. Receipts have reached $3.1 million so far. It's been extended twice so far, and is basically sold out for the rest of its run, which ends Nov. 5. Over the weekend, a Bay Area friend of mine spent 2 hours trying to get through to the box office by phone; he was told to keep checking the website for any tickets that might be released. Also, Berkeley Rep might be selling some standing room for $60-$70. (Which sounds pricey, compared to standing room for Broadway shows: ''The Book of Mormon'' and ''Kinky Boots'' charge just $27; ''Hamilton,'' $40; ''Dear Evan Hansen,'' $42, etc.) To complicate matters, last Friday night's show was canceled due to a power outage, so they need to rebook 550 of its patrons. As for the show itself, ''Ain't Too Proud'' was put together by director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo, who assembled what I consider arguably the best jukebox musical I know: ''Jersey Boys.'' It stars Broadway-caliber pros as the original 5 Temptations: Derrick Baskin as Otis; Jared Joseph as Melvin; Jeremy Pope as Eddie; James Harkness as Paul, and Ephraim Sykes as David. They sing and move ever so smoothly, and when this ever-so-slick and polished show is up on its feet, doing the Temptations classics (''My Girl'' and many more), the audience eats it up. Because ''Ain't Too Proud'' is about a guy group, like ''Jersey Boys,'' and has McAnuff and Trujillo steering it, it's bound to invite comparisons. And to me, ''Ain't Too Proud'' falls short because its book (by Dominique Morriseau) isn't as sharp or as witty as Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice's to ''Jersey Boys.'' Or Tom Eyen's book to ''Dreamgirls,'' a dynamite musical inspired by Motown. The characters in ''Ain't Too Proud'' just ''Ain't'' as vivid. To be fair, Morriseau has to juggle more characters. ''Jersey Boys'' focused on four guys. ''Ain't Too Proud'' is about the original 5 Temptations, plus some of the replacements. And a couple of the originals leave and try to return. Also, the showbiz territory it covers seems so familiar (i.e., alcohol, drugs, competing egos). This show also ''ain't too proud'' about recycling a tear-jerking subplot about an absentee parent in ''Jersey Boys.'' Maybe it's ''Just My Imagination,'' but Broadway audiences won't care. As long as they hear those Temptations tunes, they'll be on ''Cloud Nine.'' |
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| Link | Berkeley Rep: 'Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations' (trailer) |
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