TRAGEDY AND TEMPTATIONS

The rise and fall of a hit machine

Ain’t Too Proud tells the story of the rise of The Temptations, a musical group comprised of young Black men who came together in Detroit to form what became the most successful R&B band in history.

The story begins like this: Following a six-month sentence in juvenile detention, sixteen-year-old Otis Williams (Charl Brown) vows to turn his life around and find redemption through singing and music. He recruits other young men from his immediate neighborhood who, like himself, are the children of Southerners who came to Detroit to find work in the auto industry. They begin performing together and eventually come to the attention of Motown hit-maker Berry Gordy (Brett Sturgis). The ins and outs of those early days—changes in names and management—are far from compelling, but they provide a vehicle (like the red Cadillac briefly driven onto the stage) for some great doo-wop. As the years go by and the group becomes more successful, we see the origin and evolution of their synchronized dance moves (Rachell Rak, choreography), as well as the toll that constant touring takes on personal relationships and the impact of drugs and alcohol.

The origin of the show lies in Williams’s collaboration with writer Patricia Romanoski to tell the story of the band’s rise and the cost of success and fame to the singers who populated its ranks. The book for the musical adaptation of that story was written by Dominique Morisseau. It’s hard to go wrong with music and lyrics by The Temptations, and this Ogunquit Playhouse production, directed by Gerry McIntyre, has all the vitality and soul one would expect. Brown is excellent as Williams, and Josh Marin delivers as the talented but troubled David Ruffin, initially the vocal centerpiece of the group, while Warren Egypt Franklin stands out as the reserved but essential Melvin Franklin.

Alexandria Reese is also notable for her vocal performance as Diana Ross and for carrying the emotional burden of Williams’s beleaguered wife, Josephine, raising their son despite Williams’s virtual absence from their lives due to constant touring. The sets are adapted from the original Broadway show to fit Ogunquit’s stage; the original costumes are likewise altered to fit the cast (some of the rush involved in doing that shows up in the occasional uneven hem and poorly fitted bodice).

It is interesting, and worthwhile, to learn about the background of some of the songs and the conflicts among members and between the band and their manager, Gordy. “War,” for example, which band members very much wanted to perform in the midst of the Vietnam conflict, was vetoed by Gordy as too political, but went on to become a major hit for Edwin Starr (and eventually Bruce Springsteen). The sessions that produced “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” on the other hand, are described as the group’s “angriest.” Lead singer (by that time) Dennis Edwards (Tymothee Harrell), whose own father actually died on the third of September (as in the song’s lyrics), deeply resented singing it, and the band in general objected to the long instrumental lead-in. They were astonished when that song went on to become another of their most successful recordings.

Williams is the founder of the group as well as the last man standing—the only original member who is still alive and part of the band by the close of the show (and, according to a quick internet search, still touring today with The Temptations). The story of how the band came together and fell apart, all the while capturing the emotional challenges of the man who made it, as well as the tempo of a nation in tumultuous times, makes for a gratifying evening of fine music and rewarding showmanship.

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photos by Nile Scott Studios

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations
Ogunquit Playhouse
10 Main St, Ogunquit, Maine
ends on June 13, 2026
for tickets (from $40), call 207.646.5511 or visit Ogunquit

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BIO: Lynne Weiss is a member of the Boston Theater Critics Association. Her reviews, travel tales, and progressively optimistic opinions are on her substack.