“Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations” Bridged past and Present in Saint Louis
— by Ashley Cox
St. Louis showed out Friday at The Fabulous Fox Theatre for the opening of Ain’t Too Proud, a musical following the trajectory of the foundational members, or “Classic Five,” of The Temptations. The small cast has many in the ensemble playing multiple parts but Rudy Foster as Otis Williams clinched the crown of being on stage essentially the entire show… and he didn’t once look tired. This may be the most vocally talented cast all season. Each performer created unique vocal timbre to show off their personal singing styles while doing justice to the real people that made these roles.
While the show had a short run in St. Louis, just through the 11th, I hope audiences are able to connect the events depicted to some of what the nation is experiencing now. Four of the five foundational Temptations died in painful ways. Bryce Valle and Josiah Travis Kent Rogers captured the bitter sadness in the death scenes of Paul Williams and David Ruffin. Fame comes with its own temptations for everyone whether drugs, alcohol, women, or money but as cross-over hits during segregation, the pressure on these five men was surely much higher than popular white musicians. They made personal and, for some, the ultimate sacrifice to break barriers for those who came after.
As I sat in the audience watching the riveting performance, I was extremely aware of how we are again in a pivotal time for rights of those will come after us. Sacrifices, including lives, were made to deliver us our current freedoms. Safe places to work, the right to love who we want, to worship as we want. Hard won diversity has made us a stronger nation, and watching this performance surely makes one realize we cannot let those be taken from us.
If you value the arts and our shared cultural heritage, it is no longer a time that we can just support them by going to events or monetary giving. We have to be vocal allies: that we want grants to exist, that public media should exist and be available to all peoples, people should not be ripped from their families. Creative expression, diversity, equity, inclusion strengthens us a people and a nation.
Remember the heavy sacrifices made by those before us.
I will leave you with that to ruminate on. The Temptations’ current lineup will be performing at the Fox on June 7th along with the Four Tops. Next in the Broadway series will be “& Juliet” starting May 20th. Support the arts and music along with our ability to share it with everyone.