Full casting has been announced for the West End premiere of the smash hit Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud, opening at the Prince Edward Theatre from Friday 31 March 2023.
Joining the previously announced Cameron Bernard Jones as Melvin Franklin, Kyle Cox as Paul Williams, Sifiso Mazibuko as Otis Williams, Tosh Wanogho-Maud as David Ruffin and Mitchell Zhangazha as Eddie Kendricks will be Evonnee Bentley-Holder, Natalia Brown, Ryan Carter, Hannah Fairclough, Christopher Gopaul, Daniel Haswell, Naomi Katiyo, Akmed Junior Khemalai, Holly Liburd, Darnell Mathew-James, Simeon Montague, Posi Morakinyo, Sadie-Jean Shirley, Michael James Stewart, Toyan Thomas-Browne, Dylan Turner and Kevin Yates.
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, which won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Choreography, is the electrifying new musical that follows the remarkable journey of the group from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and unmistakable harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts creating an amazing 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 reaching number one. The rest is history – how they met, how they rose, the ground-breaking heights they hit, and how personal and political conflicts threatened to tear the group apart as the United States fell into civil unrest. This thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty and betrayal is set to the beat of the group’s Grammy Award-winning music including the hits My Girl, Just My Imagination, Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone, Get Ready, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg and so many more.
Ain’t Too Proud has a book by Kennedy Prize-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau and reunites two-time Tony Award winning director Des McAnuff with Tony and Olivier Award winning choreographer Sergio Trujilio, whose previous collaborations include the Tony Award winning hit show Jersey Boys. It has Scenic Design by Tony Award nominee Robert Brill with Costume Design by Tony Award winner Paul Tazewell. Tony Award winning Lighting Designer Howell Binkley and Tony Award winning Sound Designer Steve Canyon Kennedy united once again following their success working together on Jersey Boys. Projection Design is by Drama Desk Award winner Peter Nigrini, Hair and Wig Design by Charles G. LaPointe. Music Supervision and Arrangements are by Kenny Seymour, Orchestrations by Drama Desk Award winner Harold Wheeler, Music Direction by Matt Smith and Casting by Pippa Ailion CDG and Natalie Gallacher CDG.
Ain’t Too Proud is produced in the West End by Ira Pittelman, Tom Hulce, Stephen Gabriel and Jamie Wilson.
