Theater News

Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations Will Run in London

Currently on tour in North America, the musical will have a sit-down production in the West End.

Christian Thompson, Saint Aubyn, Ephraim Sykes, Jeremy Pope, Derrick Baskin, and Jawan M James appeared in the Broadway production of Ain't Too Proud.
Christian Thompson, Saint Aubyn, Ephraim Sykes, Jeremy Pope, Derrick Baskin, and Jawan M James appeared in the Broadway production of Ain't Too Proud.
(© Matthew Murphy)

The Temptations musical Ain't Too Proud is heading for the West End. Casting for the show is to be announced, with the musical beginning performances at the Prince Edward Theatre (currently home to Mary Poppins) on March 31, 2023.

The musical was first seen in 2017 before opening on Broadway in 2019 (where it won the Tony Award for Best Choreography). It tells the story of the iconic chart-topping group The Temptations, responsible for hit tunes such as "My Girl", "Just My Imagination" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone".

Otis Williams, the group's founding member and an executive producer of the show said today, "I am truly thrilled that our Tony Award-winning musical Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, which was a smash hit on Broadway and is currently touring to 50 cities in the US, will be opening in the West End next Spring."

The show has a book by Kennedy Prize-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau and reunites two-time Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff, Tony Award-winning choreographer Sergio Trujilio, Tony Award-winning lighting designer Howell Binkley, and Tony Award-winning sound designer Steve Canyon Kennedy. All four previously worked on the much-loved jukebox musical Jersey Boys.

It has scenic design by Tony Award nominee Robert Brill with costume design by Tony Award winner Paul Tazewell. Projection design is by Drama Desk Award winner Peter Nigrini, hair and wig design by Charles G LaPointe, music supervision and Arrangements by Kenny Seymour, orchestrations by Drama Desk Award winner Harold Wheeler and music direction by Matt Smith.

The musical played its final Broadway performance in January.