Giving in to Temptations: Jukebox musical 'Ain't Too Proud' pays tribute to the Motown legends

“My Girl,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” are just a few of the No. 1 hits by Motown legends The Temptations featured in the Tony-winning jukebox musical “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations,” coming to Popejoy this month.

“This is the music I grew up on,” said Bryce Valle, who plays The Temptations’ original lead singer, Paul Williams. “This is my bread and butter.”

“I’m an only child, and I grew up around a lot of adults,” Valle explained. Several of them were Temptations fans.

Both of Valle’s parents were in the entertainment industry. His mother had been in an R&B group before starting a business promoting comedians like Kevin Hart and Mike Epps in the 1990s and early 2000s. His dad was a radio DJ who worked with Wendy Williams. His parents’ professions brought them into contact with everyone from the actress LisaRaye McCoy to rappers Queen Latifah and Jay-Z.

“Did I meet them? Absolutely. Did I know who they were? Absolutely not. Because I was 5,” Valle said.

If Valle’s early exposure to the world of pop music and entertainment set the stage for his future career, it was his experience singing on Carnival cruise ships that he refers to as his “professional training camp.” That’s where he developed the discipline, stamina and adaptability he still relies on today.

“On my first ship, we had five different shows, and we did each show twice a day. So, a disco show on Monday, a Motown show Tuesday, a rock show Wednesday, a country show Thursday — and once you hit go, it keeps going. It doesn’t stop,” he said. “So, if something happens offstage, where one of the other cast members can’t come on, you have to fill in on the spot at the last second to save the show. That happens all the time.”

He said touring with a Broadway production is similarly fast-paced, and sometimes even more tiring.

“In certain ways, being on a cruise ship is probably easier, only because you go to bed and you wake up, and you’re in a new place — as opposed to touring, where you have to constantly pack and change where you’re living,” he said.

If that weren’t enough, Valle is also the production’s dance captain.

“This show won the Tony for choreography. So, there’s definitely some pressure to uphold the integrity of the choreography,” he said.

But he enjoys it. “It’s a good kind of pressure,” he said.

“One thing that I love about this show is that everybody is highlighted,” he said. “It’s 100% an ensemble show, and everyone has a moment to showcase their abilities and to showcase the story that they’re telling. It’s been really great to see everybody shine.”

“Ain’t Too Proud” not only celebrates The Temptations’ music, it shows how the group coped with hardship and tragedy in their everyday lives.

“They’ve done a really good job at intertwining the lives of each individual member with the songs that they’re so iconically known for,” Valle said. “For example, Paul’s last song is ‘For Once in My Life,’ and he’s just trying to get back into the group, because he’s been dealing with his own demons … and also having sickle cell, and the doctors not really knowing what that is at that point.”

“These are people’s real lives,” he said. “We’re honoring their memory.”

Valle’s most meaningful experience performing “Ain’t Too Proud” came when he got to meet Otis Williams, the last surviving original member of the band.

“He came and saw the show about four times,” Valle said. “And he brought his family and other people to see the show, which was a great honor.”

“Their manager, Shelly (Berger), who’s still alive, as well — he also came. And to have both of them say that we did a great job in the show was a blessing to hear,” he said.

It affirmed to Valle and the rest of the cast that they had captured the authentic spirit of the music.

“There is an integrity that I believe needs to be upheld, because they are a part of pop music history and social history,” Valle said. “So, there is a level of responsibility to keep it authentic, and to keep it true to who and what they were.”

“The Temptations are part of the blueprint that helped shape society,” he said. “They helped shape what life is about.”

Giving in to Temptations: Jukebox musical 'Ain't Too Proud' pays tribute to the Motown legends