Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations is a jukebox musical with music and lyrics by vocal group The Temptations and book by Dominique Morisseau. The show features the Temptations' signature dance moves and harmonies, set to the beat of many of the group's hits such as "Get Ready," "My Girl," and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." The musical follows how the group met, the groundbreaking heights they hit and how personal and political conflicts threatened to tear the group apart as the United States fell into civil unrest.
The musical premiered at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, California, on August 31st, 2017, with a press opening on September 14th, for a limited engagement until November 5th, 2017. After several out-of-town tryouts in Washington, DC, Los Angeles and Toronto, the show opened at Broadway's Imperial Theatre on March 21st, 2019. At the 2019 Tony Awards, Ain't Too Proud received 11 nominations, winning only Best Choreography. The show closed on January 16th, 2022.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The Broadway cast of Ain't Too Proud served as the cold open to the 2019 NBC Parade telecast. The cast performed a medley that included some of The Temptations' best-selling songs including "Get Ready", "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", and "Can't Get Next to You". The performance was promptly followed by an introduction to the telecast from the Today Show's Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.
Ain't Too Proud once again performed in the reimagined 2020 Macy's Parade, performing a socially-distanced medley of "My Girl" and "Get Ready". Sergio Trujillo, the Tony Award-winning choreographer of the show, said that said he choreographed with social distancing in mind, making sure that the formations were staggered and the performers could keep separated while dancing.
The pre-taped performance was filmed outside of the show's home at Broadway's Imperial Theatre in mid-November 2020.