Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of The Temptations is one of the best shows I’ve seen. It’s joyful, yet it can also make you shed a tear or two. I saw it on opening night — March 7th — at The Orpheum, where it’s playing now through March 12th.
The musical, which chronicles the ups and downs of the longtime Motown singing group, is a musical where you already know the songs before you sit down. But, as one of the group’s song titles states: “Get Ready.” You’re in for a treat. The songs, the performers, the fabulous story, and the Tony Award for Best Choreography that go with it make this a memorable blockbuster on the boards.
The captivating performances include Elijah Ahmad Lewis’s wildly-out-of-control David Ruffin, and Michael Andraeus’s trying-to-keep-it-together unofficial group leader Otis Williams.
Another captivating performance is by Jalen Harris, who plays Eddie Kendricks. What makes him even more captivating — in addition to his flawlessly fluid dancing and his powerful vocals — is the fact he’s from Memphis. We can claim him.
I talked to Harris the next day. A native Memphian, Harris is a graduate of Harding Academy.
He’s done just about everything. When he was 15, he sang on season 10 of American Idol.
He’s a model, who recently did runway work for some bridal shows for Men’s Wearhouse.
As an actor, he appeared in HBO’s Lovecraft Country. “I played the Moroccan bartender on episode seven.”
And he’s an R&B crossover artist with “some new music coming up.”
Asked what it was like to portray Kendricks in Ain’t Too Proud, Harris says, “It’s a dream come true. And I myself am a musician and this is my first time ever to do any biographical work as an actor.”
And, he adds, “I’ve learned things about myself. Also, in my journey portraying him.”
Their similarities include “growing up in the church and singing gospel music and branching off into rhythm and blues. I definitely went down that same path.”
Harris sang at Williams Temple Church of God in Christ. He was lead singer in his brother’s group, City Mix.
Also, Harris says, “It’s an honor because I am etched into history as a Temptation for the rest of my life.”
He loves “being from Memphis and doing something so special regarding Detroit and the Motown sound. I was at Stax today seeing all the musical history there at Soulsville here in Memphis. I feel like I’m in the best of both worlds.”
Being from Memphis means he’s “part of something so much bigger” than himself, Harris says. “Politically, creatively, and artistically — musically as well — I feel like it’s a responsibility for me as an artist.”
Like when he travels to other places. “They see Memphis when they see me. And they hear Memphis. That is so important to me.
“The same blood that runs through the veins of the other musicians in Memphis runs through me, too.”
Harris obviously loves his hometown. He got a chance to recently perform an important job at The Peabody. “I’m so grateful, honored, and humbled to be the Duckmaster the other day.”
He thought, “I’m not worthy of this.”
