Detroit Pride: "Ain't Too Proud" on tour at the Fox

“Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations” arrives at The Fabulous Fox trailing clouds of glory—or at least clouds of hype. That cloud includes a dozen Tony Awards, a “Critic’s Pick” listing by the New York Times’s Ben Brantley, and a review by Tim Teeman in The Daily Beast  dubbing it a “gold-standard triumph.”

Not every show can live up to expectations like that, but “Ain’t Too Proud” can and does. This is a theatrical powerhouse that boasts a killer cast with enough talent and energy to light up several cities and, most importantly, a solid script that a makes it far more than a typical jukebox musical.

Photo: Emilio Madrid

Credit book author Dominique Morisseau for that. A well-established playwright and the recipient of multiple awards, including a MacArthur Genius Grant, Morisseau infuses the well-worn tale of the personal costs of stardom with a credibility and humanity that makes it relatable and mostly avoids the usual clichés of the genre.

Based on the memoir “The Temptations” by Otis Williams (the last surviving member of the original quintet) and Patricia Romanowski, “Ain’t Too Proud” is essentially a memory play in which Williams tells the story of the triumphs and tragedies of the  first three decades of the legendary soul/R&B group. Still alive and singing after 62 years, The Temptations’ roster has included 27 performers over the decades. But since only Williams, like Mehlville’s Ishmael, is “escaped alone,” it seems only fair that he gets to tell the tale.

It's a long and rocky road that The Temptations travel. It begins with Otis running afoul of the law on the Detroit streets (“Runaway Child, Running Wild”) and finding a new path in music. He recruits baritone Paul Williams (James T. Lane) and tenor Eddie Kendicks (Jalen Harris), along with a rapidly changing assortment of basses and tenors, to form a series of groups with names that change just as rapidly: The Cavaliers, The Primes, and even, improbably, The Siberians.

Photo: Emilio Madrid

With the addition of tenor Elbridge “Al” Bryant (Brett Michel Lockley) and bass Melvin Franklin (Harrell Holmes, Jr.), who stuck with the group until just before his death in 1995, the Elgins (another name change) are still treading water until Otis arranges a ”chance” meeting with Motown Mogul Berry Gordy (Michael Andreaus) in a backstage restroom (“When you hear Mr. Berry Gordy himself is headed to the bathroom,” recalls Otis, “you suddenly have to pee real bad”). Gordy likes their sound but hates their name. They finally decide to call themselves The Temptations (“because once you hear us sing, you’ll do anything”) and the reset, as they say, is history.

For the members, though, it was often a turbulent history, both on a personal and political level. We see the group struggle with the impacts of racism (“Don’t Look Back”), drug use (“Cloud 9”), the assassination of Dr. King (“I Wish it Would Rain”), and the 1967 Detroit riots, as well as with the clashing egos and emotional  problems that resulted in frequent changes in the makeup of The Temptations.  

Bryant was the first to go, cashiered for his violent outbursts (“I Want a Love I Can See”). He was replaced by David Ruffin (Elijah Ahmed Lewis, in a spectacular performance), whose gaudy stage presence and acrobatic dancing made him the ideal front man but whose inner demons eventually led to his departure (”I Could Never Love Another”). Others came and went over the years, but it was the team of Ruffin, Kendricks, Franklin, Otis Williams, and Paul Williams that created the classic Temptations sound.

Photo: Emilio Madrid

And it’s that sound that permeates “Ain’t Too Proud”. The story of The Temptations’ trials and triumphs unfolds amid a steady stream of their hits: “Shout,” “My Girl,” “I Can’t Get Next to You,” “Ain’t Too Proud,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (a song they all hated, which naturally became a #1 hit), and so many others. For anyone who loves their music, this show is a nonstop delight. More impressively, the songs are closely interwoven with and advance the story.

Accompanied by a quartet of touring musicians fortified up by a choice collection of local players and conducted by Jonathan “Smitty” Smith (they’re on stage, but hidden by the backdrop), this amazing cast sings and dances its way through over 30 Motown classics. The many stunning performances include Holmes’s stolidly loyal Melvin Franklin, (complete with a big, powerful bass voice), Lane’s tragic Paul Williams, Andreaus’s imperious Berry Gordy, and Traci Elaine Lee as the group’s first (and least principled) manager, Johnnie Mae, whose noisy departure in their confiscated Cadillac is surely one of the best exits in musical theatre (“I’ve Been Good to You”).

Lee returns later in the show with Amber Mariah Talley and Shayla Breille G. as The Temptations’ top 40 rivals, The Supremes. The trio totally nails the sinuous moves and close harmonies of the original (“Supremes Medley”).

Photo: Emilio Madrid

Last but certainly not least is Marcus Paul James as Otis Williams. Since Otis is our eyes and ears, the actor playing the role has to be immediately appealing and credible. James is certainly that, and (like everyone else in the cast) he’s a damn fine singer as well. He lets us see the character’s mix of pride, regret, and wry wisdom. He’s an ideal guide on this musical odyssey.

Sergio Trujillo’s choreography perfectly captures the flashy and fluid movement that became a Temptations trademark. Peter Nigrini’s projections and Robert Brill’s sets create rapid-fire scene changes, and Paul Tazewell’s costumes colorfully evoke the changing styles of the late 20th century.

The bottom line is that “Ain’t Too Proud” pulls off the neat trick creating a theatrical hybrid of the hit-driven juke box musical and the plot-driven musical drama. And it does so with a large and phenomenally talented ensemble cast and an eye-popping dosh of technical flare. It runs close to three hours but moves so quickly and is so consistently compelling that it seems like the blink of an eye. This is one you don’t want to miss.

The tour of “Ain’t Too Proud” plays The Fabulous Fox through Sunday, October 2nd, after which it's off to other venues in the US and Canada. More information is available at the Fabulous Fox web site.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Opera Review: Swedish Rhapsody: "A Little Night Music" at Union Avenue Opera

In a 2016 interview at the Glimmerglass Festival, Stephen Sondheim said that he had always viewed his 1973 musical “A Little Night Music” as having “an operetta attitude.” It’s not surprising, then, that many opera companies have embraced it.

L-R: James Stevens, Leann Schuering,
Eric McConnell, Jordan Wolk, Teresa Doggett
Photo: Dan Donovan

Union Avenue Opera’s production doesn’t just embrace the show; it makes love to it with a combination of sensuality and skill that even the curmudgeonly Madame Armfeldt (played with sardonic wit by Teresa Doggett) would appreciate. With a simple but highly functional set (C. Otis Sweezey), beautiful costumes (the multi-talented Doggett), skilled dramatic and musical direction (Annamaria Pileggi and Scott Schoonover, respectively) and, above all a splendid cast, this is the best “Night Music” I have seen in quite a while.

For those of you unfamiliar with the show, know that “A Little Night Music” is “suggested by” famed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 comedy “Smiles of a Summer Night.” The story centers on a collection of romantically confused couples whose foolishness is sorted out by the “smiles” of a single midsummer night, when the sun never sets and there’s both magic and pheromones in the air. Hugh Wheeler’s book adds a few complications and a bit more romance (“sex presented pastorally,” to quote Stephen Schwartz), but otherwise it sticks fairly closely to Bergman’s original.

L-R: Debby Lennon,
Peter Kendall Clark
Photo: Dan Donovan

Presenting a successful “Little Night Music” can be a tricky proposition. Sondheim’s lyrics mix low comedy and high art in a way rarely seen on the musical stage, and his music is filled with intricate rhythms and layers of polyphony that are uncommon even in the regular operatic repertoire. That musical complexity is true as well for the roles of Frederik, Desiree, and Madame Armfeldt—originally written for singing actors rather than classically trained singers—which can be challenging.

What you need, in short, is a cast that can act as well as it sings, and vice versa.

Union Avenue has assembled just such a cast. Debby Lennon, a familiar presence on the operatic, theatre, and cabaret stages locally, is a wry and  insightful Desiree Armfeldt, the actress who realizes that ending her earlier relationship with lawyer Fredrik Egerman might not have been a wise decision. Lennon is the kind of singer who sounds entirely at home in just about any musical genre, a fact she demonstrates here with a performance of “Send in the Clowns” that is simply the most heartfelt and musically solid I have ever heard.

Baritone Peter Kendall Clark’s Fredrik is funny and wistful, as he tries to negotiate a mid-life crisis of which he seems blissfully unaware. The role has generally been the province of big theatrical baritones like Len Cariou and Ron Raines, and Clark could not be a better fit. He’s got projection and tonal warmth to spare.

L-R: Leann Schuering, Peter Kendall Clark
Poto: Dan Donovan

Speaking of projection, bass-baritone Eric J. McConnell has ample vocal power as the “pea-brained” Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, whose toxic masculinity is exceeded only by his lack of insight. He comes close to making the character’s vapid bluster a little too silly, but better to error in that direction than to let us see what a truly awful person Carl-Magnus is.  

Soprano Leann Schuering, whose crystalline voice so brightened Union Avenue’s “HMS Pinafore” in 2018, sparkles again as Countess Charlotte Malcolm, painfully aware of just how much she is under her husband’s sadistic thumb but unable to find her way out.

I have, perhaps, exhausted my store of encomiums for soprano Brooklyn Snow from her previous UAO appearances. Here, as Fredrik’s very young and deeply shallow bride Anne (“unfortunately still a virgin” after nearly a year of marriage), she is once again vocally stunning and utterly convincing in her portrayal.

L-R: Amy Maude Helfer,
Brooklyn Snow
Photo: Dan Donovan

Tenor James Stevens is Henrik, Fredrik’s son from his first marriage, who finds himself in the untenable position of studying for the priesthood while lusting after his stepmother who, after all, is around the same age as him. Steven’s performance is a perfect mix of pain and comedy, delivered with a clear-as-a-bell voice that fills the stage. Together with Snow and Clark, he makes the complex Act I trio “Now / Later / Soon” one of many memorable moments.

One sign of a solid show is the presence of first-rate performers in even the smallest roles. As the free-spirited and flirtatious maid Petra, mezzo Amy Maude Helfer brings an unusual touch of sadness to the final line of “I Shall Marry the Miller’s Son.” It’s there in the music, but I don’t recall hearing it before.

Arielle Pedersen, a finalist in last year’s Fox Performing Arts High School Talent competition, makes an auspicious UAO debut in the mostly non-singing role of Desiree’s daughter Fredrika, radiating warmth and wisdom beyond her years. Perhaps that’s the result of her tutelage at the feet (literally) of the wheelchair-bound Madame Armfeldt, continually disappointed by her daughter Desiree’s refusal to recognize the importance of the profit motive in her romances. She gives voice to it in the ruefully witty “Liaisons,” which Doggett, in one of her regrettably rare stage appearances, sings with impressive clarity, even though it’s at the bottom of her range.

L-R: Joel Rogier, Sarah Price, Phil Touchette,
Gina Malone, Grade Yukiko Fisher
Photo: Dan Donovan

Finally, let us not forget the fine work by the vocal quintet that Sondheim employs as a kind of Greek chorus, commenting on the action and sometimes letting us hear the thoughts of the characters. Their presence is essential throughout the work and their music is often complex, as in the fugal “Perpetual Anticipation,” sung by the three women of the ensemble in Act II. The quintet consists of Joel Rogier, Gina Malone, Grace Yukiko Fisher, Philip Touchette, and Sarah Price.

That said, there are the usual issues with UAO’s overly resonant acoustics blurring overlapping vocal lines, especially in the Mozartian complexity of the Act I finale “A Weekend in the Country.” Schoonover’s tempos are also a bit too brisk in places for Sondheim’s lyrically lavish music, but the projected English text helps.

L-R: Arielle Pedersen,
Teresa Doggett
Photo: Dan Donovan

Set changes were also longer than they should have been due to the necessity of hauling large pieces of furniture on and off stage. But this, again, is a function of the fact that the performance space has no backstage or wing space; there’s only so much you can expect a designer to do. “Falstaff” suffered from the same issue but at least this time Schoonover used bits of the score as change music, which made them feel shorter.

For me the bottom line is that it has been over a decade since I have seen a professional production of “A Little Night Music” and longer than that since I have seen one that was so completely right in so many ways. This is a “must see” for anyone who loves musical theatre of any kind.

There are two more performances this Friday and Saturday (August 26 and 27) at 8 pm at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright. Tickets are available at the UAO web site.

In the eye of the beholder: Stray Dog finds more laughs and less cruelty in "Art"

In a review of the Old Vic’s 2016 revival of Yasmina Reza’s comedy Art (in the 1996 Christopher Hampton English adaptation of the 1994 French original), The Guardian’s Michael Bilington, while praising the acting and directing, has questions about the script itself. “Is Reza’s play, in the end,” he asks, “a modern classic or a modish crowdpleaser? I lean to the former view but the answer…lies in the eye of the beholder.”

L-R: Ben Ritchie, Stephen Peirick, Jeremy Goldmeier
Photo by John Lamb

I’ve never been that taken with the play, its many awards notwithstanding, so for me “modern classic” is right out.  It can, however, be a crowd pleaser, modish or not, especially when done in bright, comic style by a trio of skilled actors. Which is what director Gary Bell and his talented trio of performers are doing with it at Stray Dog Theatre through August 21st.

First performed in 1994 at Comédie des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Art is a one-act, 90-minute comedy that examines the way a simple disagreement over the value of a work of modern art quickly escalates into an emotional and intellectual demolition derby that nearly destroys a long-standing friendship among Parisians Marc, Serge, and Yvan.

The painting—a blank white canvas that could easily pass for unpainted drywall—is purchased by Serge, the oldest of the trio, for an absurd amount of money. Serge points out that there are faint white lines on the white background and praises its subtlety. Marc dismisses it as "a piece of white shit," and before long their conflict has expanded to include the hapless Yvan. Already battered by the emotional hurricane brewing around his upcoming wedding, Yvan is ill-equipped to deal with the battle between Marc and Serge. His attempts to act as a calming influence fail, and the final battle royal ultimately leaves all three emotionally exhausted but, perhaps, with a better understanding of the complicated and messy nature of their relationship.  

The script has been widely praised by critics for addressing issues of the nature of friendship and art, but to my mind it does so only in the a superficial way. Mostly it’s a virtuoso display of the kind of brittle verbal comedy I associate with (say) Noël Coward, but with a cruel edge that ultimately makes the lines less funny and the characters very nearly unbearable by the end of the play’s 90-minute run.

That said, Stray Dog’s production is an excellent one. Bell keeps the comedy front and center, with brisk pacing, clear blocking, and a generally very creative use of the awkward rectangular outdoor stage. In that, he gets a bit assist from Josh Smith’s simple and versatile set and Tyler Duenow’s lighting.

L-R: Ben Ritchie, Stephen Peirick, Jeremy Goldmeier
Photo by John Lamb

More importantly, the performances are first rate. Ben Ritchie’s Serge is a perfect balance of sincerity and smug self-assurance. Stephen Peirick’s voluble Marc repeatedly punctures both, armed by an unshakable conviction of his own rightness and a more genuine concern about what he sees as the loss of Serge’s friendship. Their battles have the fine comic timing of a classic Vaudeville team. I have worked with both actors myself in the past, and their work here only enhances my esteem for their skills.

Jeremy Goldmeier’s Yvan, like his Jeff in SDT’s Lobby Hero last year, is the perfect schlemiel—well-meaning but incompetent. It makes him the perfect foil for Ritchie and Peirick’s dueling divas and also neatly sets up the moment towards the end when his character finally decides he has had enough and stands up to the bullying of Serge and Marc.

The bottom line here is that if you are an admirer of Art, I think it likely that you will enjoy this well-crafted presentation despite the vagaries of weather and outdoor noise.  Seating pods are sensibly distanced and audience members are required to wear masks until seated in their pods, keeping health concerns to a minimum.

Performances of Art continue through August 21st. on the lawn outside of Stray Dog’s home at 2336 Tennessee in the Tower Grove East neighborhood, with lighted and guarded parking. For more information, visit the Stray Dog web site.