A comment from this youtube video:

“I hope the band will be able to perform in the pit at The Kennedy Center and especially when the extraordinary show goes to Broadway. I saw the show at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Due to space restrictions at the Rep, the band had no choice but to play during all but the very last number way off stage. Audience members heard the band playing through the house speaker system. It was like listening to a CD, so much so that I truly believed we were listening to canned music. Only after receiving a response from the music direcctor did I learn that the band was actually playing live, but were positioned off stage. The only way for the audience to hear them was through the house sound system. When they suddenly appeared on stage for the very last number, the sound improved immensely. They truly rocked. We could really feel the beat. Too bad it wasn’t like that for the whole show. I am almost certain The Kennedy Center was designed to handle a live orchestra in front of the stage for productions. If the band for this show will be able to play from the pit, the audience will experience a truly unforgetable musical theatre event. Apart from my criticism noted above, this show is certainly well worth seeing. The Temptations music was the best.”

Yes, we are playing live throughout the performance. Come see the show. it’s great!

Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s production of
Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations

East Coast premiere of the pre-Broadway engagement!

“Throbs with grit and groove. Now more than ever, the magnitude of what the band accomplished, crossing over into the mainstream, and what they sacrificed to get there, resonates. There’s nothing like the irresistible beat of The Temptations.”—San Jose Mercury News

“Not just your imagination: Temptations musical rocks! Richly textured, perfectly blended harmonies back lead vocals that somehow combine swaggering showmanship, meticulously honed technique, and emotion of almost unbearable intensity.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Ain’t Too Proud is an electrifying new musical about the life and times of The Temptations, “the greatest R&B group of all time” (Billboard Magazine). Five young guys on the streets of Detroit were discovered by Berry Gordy, who signed them to his legendary new label. With their signature dance moves and unmistakable harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts—creating an amazing 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 reaching number one. Through friendship and betrayal amid the civil unrest that tore America apart, their moving and personal story still resonates five decades later.

Kennedy Prize–winning playwright Dominique Morisseau (Detroit ’67, Sunset Baby), Olivier Award–winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Memphis the Musical, On Your Feet!), and two-time Tony Award®–winning director Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, Big River) bring you this thrilling new production featuring iconic hits including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” and many more. The show enjoyed its critically acclaimed, record-breaking world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where it became the highest-grossing production in the venue’s nearly 50-year history.

FULL CREATIVE TEAM:
Book by Dominique Morisseau | Music and lyrics from The Legendary Motown Catalog | Music by arrangement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing | Orchestrations by Harold Wheeler | Music direction & arrangements by Kenny Seymour | Choreographed by Sergio Trujillo | Scenic design by Robert Brill | Costume design by Paul Tazewell | Lighting design by Howell Binkley | Sound design by Steve Canyon Kennedy | Projection design by Peter Nigrini | Hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe | Fight direction by Steve Rankin | Directed by Des McAnuff

Performance Timing: Act One – 63 min.; Intermission – 18 min.; Act Two – 55 min.

Recommended for ages 12 and up. The performance contains some strong language not suitable for young children.

Note: This performance includes haze and smoke effects, a brief moment of flashing light, and a gunshot sound effect.

Photos courtesy of Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre