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Ain’t Too Proud

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July 27–Aug. 2 Five Voices. One Dream.

Performance time 8:15 p.m. nightly

This electrifying new Broadway and worldwide hit arrives at The Muny! Following The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to international stardom, this thrilling true story of brotherhood and betrayal is driven by the beat of the group’s biggest hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” With signature dance moves and unmistakable harmonies, The Temptations soared to the top of the charts — but success came with conflict, both personal and political. Ain’t Too Proud will immerse you in a pivotal moment in music and American history. A Muny premiere!

Book by Dominique Morisseau • Music and lyrics from the Legendary Motown Catalog • Based on the book The Temptations by Otis Williams with Patricia Romanowski • Music by arrangement with Sony Music Publishing

Buy Season Tickets
Single Tickets On Sale May 18

  • Marcia Milgrom Dodge

    Director

  • Rickey Tripp

    Choreographer

  • Darryl Archibald

    Music Director/Conductor

  • Nasha Harris Santiago

    Associate Choreographer

  • Edward E. Haynes Jr.

    Scenic Designer

  • Gail Baldoni

    Costume Designer

  • Rob Denton

    Lighting Designer

  • Joshua Hummel

    Sound Designer

  • Kevan Loney

    Video Designer

  • Kelley Jordan

    Wig Designer

  • Ralph Stan Lee

    Production Stage Manager

  • The Telsey Office, Rashad Naylor, CSA

    Casting

Cast

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JAMES T. LANE

Otis Williams

returns for his sixth Muny production. West End: The Scottsboro Boys, A Chorus Line. Broadway: A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong alternate); Chicago (Billy Flynn/Amos Hart); Kiss Me, Kate (Paul); King Kong the Musical; The Scottsboro Boys (Ozie Powell/Ruby Bates); A Chorus Line (Richie Walters). Tours: Jersey Boys, Cinderella, Fame the Musical. Regional: Guys and Dolls, Blues for an Alabama Sky (Virginia Stage Company); Mary Poppins (Bert) and Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Drury Lane Theatre); Broadway at Music Circus; The Old Globe; Walnut Street Theatre; ACT; Dallas Theater Center. Encores/Off Center: Promenade; Grand Hotel; Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope. Concerts: Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops, Ottawa Symphony, Naples Symphony and many more. James served as choreographer and recurring actor on The Amber Ruffin Show (Peacock). He is the creator and 2023 Audelco Award winner for his one-man show, Triple Threat, which played off-Broadway. He also teaches music theatre dance and performance masterclasses.

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NICK RASHAD BURROUGHS

David Ruffin

Broadway: Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Ike Turner, OBC), Kinky Boots, King Kong. New York: Goddess at The Public Theatre (Ahmed, Lucille Lortell Award nomination for best featured performer in a musical). First national tours: Moulin Rouge! (Toulouse Lautrec), Something Rotten! (Minstrel, u/s Shakespeare). Previous Muny: Dreamgirls (James Thunder Early). Other: Merry Wives at Shakespeare Theatre Company (Mr. Ford). Pop Smash Radio Music Award winner for his album Groove Machine. Broadway World Award winner for Jesus Christ Superstar (Judas).

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JAWAN M. JACKSON

Melvin Franklin

is an actor, singer and voiceover artist with a rich bass-baritone. On Broadway, he played Melvin Franklin in the original companies of both Motown: The Musical and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. And since 2022, he has performed as the bass vocalist for the legendary group The Temptations. Off-Broadway: Ceremonies in Dark Old Men. Film/TV: Sparkle, The Get Down, Doo Wop Generations, Your Monster, national television appearances. Grammy nominee for the Ain’t Too Proud cast album. Jawan has also appeared on Ms. Rachel (Songs for Littles). A Detroit native, he holds a BS in communications from Eastern Michigan University.

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ELIJAH AHMAD LEWIS

Eddie Kendricks

is a multi-award-winning entertainer and recording artist. Broadway: Tony Award-winning Ain’t Too Proud (Principal Standby), Motown: The Musical (Stevie Wonder/Jackie Wilson). Tours: The Wiz 50th anniversary (Scarecrow); Ain’t Too Proud first national (David Ruffin); Motown: The Musical first national (Stevie Wonder) and second national (Stevie Wonder/Jackie Wilson); Mama, I Want to Sing! NYC and Japan (Minister of Music). Film/TV: Mama, I Want to Sing!; America (Rosie O’Donnell); B-Boy Blues; Power Book III: Raising Kanan; Grammy Awards. Music: SZA, Usher, Ariana Grande, Uncle James “JT” Taylor, Cissy Houston, Madonna, ASAP FERG, Timbuktu/Jason Diakité (Sweden). NAACP Arts and Culture Award recipient. Artist and performer with Walker Entertainment and the Rakiem Walker Project. New album ENERGY AND LOVE and all music available on all platforms under “EAL.”

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DANIEL YEARWOOD

Paul Williams

Broadway: Hamilton, Sweeney Todd, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, Once on This Island, Ink. Off-Broadway: Grand Hotel, Monte Cristo, Rolling Thunder. Regional: In the Heights, Newsies.

Creative Team

Headshot of Marcia Milgrom Dodge

MARCIA MILGROM DODGE

Director

is a leading director and choreographer whose work spans Broadway revivals, major regional theatres and international spectacles. She is celebrated for her stirring Broadway/Kennedy Center revival of Ragtime, which earned Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations, and the Helen Hayes Award for outstanding director. Dodge (aka MMD) is the American show director for Tokyo Disneyland’s 40th Anniversary Parade, Harmony in Color. Her bold reimaginings of classic plays and musicals include La Cage aux Folles, Smokey Joe’s Cafe and The Little Mermaid at The Muny and Beauty and the Beast at Olney Theatre Center. Her career also includes off-Broadway, television (Encore!, Sesame Street, Remember WENN), and new works with Maltby & Shire and William Finn. Proud SDC member.

Headshot of Rickey Tripp

RICKEY TRIPP

Choreographer

A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical (Broadway, Chita Rivera Award nominee for outstanding choreography), X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Met Opera), The Monsters (world premiere, Two River Theater). TV/film: Confluence (Berlin Film Festival; Los Angeles Dance Festival, winner), Legs (Vanessa Williams), Eileen (Universal Pictures, 2023 Sundance Film Festival), A Thousand and One (Universal Pictures, 2023 Sundance Film Festival US Grand Jury Prize), The Roll Call: The Roots to a Strange Fruit (National Black Theater/WNET, Emmy nominated), Encore! (Disney). He has taught masterclasses and set choreography for dance studios and schools around the world. Currently on faculty for Immersive Artist Experience. Zena Rommett Method, certified mentor. BA in dance, San Jose State University.

Headshot of Darryl Archibald

DARRYL ARCHIBALD

Music Director/Conductor

Some Like It Hot (Broadway, Shubert Theatre); Motown: The Musical (Broadway, Nederlander Theatre); Jelly’s Last Jam (guest conductor, New York City Center); Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ (pre-Broadway engagement, The Old Globe); Sweeney Todd, directed by Jason Alexander (McCoy/Rigby Entertainment); The Pirates of Penzance (Opera Theatre of St. Louis); Encore! (Ragtime episode, Disney+); Wicked (guest conductor, Pantages Theatre); Brigadoon, La Cage aux Folles, Ragtime, Little Shop of Horrors with M.J. Rodriguez (Pasadena Playhouse); Disney’s Frozen, La Cage aux Folles, Fiddler on the Roof (The Muny); Dear World with Tyne Daly (VPAC); Jonathan Dove’s Innocence (Banff Centre).

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. mtishows.com