The Story of the Greatest Soul Band Ever

Aug. 31-Oct. 22: Both my co-host Jeffrey Edalatpour and I are keen to see the songs of The Temptations performed live by talented actors and dancers in Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, a world premiere about the band’s early days at Berkeley Repertory Theater. But we’ve both been underwhelmed in the past by jukebox musicals. (Motown, the Berry Gordy produced musical, which covered some of this same ground, was hugely disappointing.) Still, we have hope, because playwright Dominique Morisseau is writing the book, and she’s known for her three-play cycle about her hometown The Detroit Projects. As Jeffrey notes, she’s not going to ignore the social and political context of being black in America at the height of the civil rights movement. It’s no surprise, also, that the production team is loaded with Broadway veterans like director Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar), and Broadway is probably where this show will go after its Berkeley run. Details here.