![]() ![]() Starr had written “Twenty-Five Miles” some years earlier and tried to persuade Motown to let him record it, but it was rejected as “too rock’n’roll.” His typically rousing performance of the song on the local TV show 20 Grand Live raised the stakes, made the phones ring off the hook, and prompted sales director Barney Ales to tell Starr to hotfoot it to the studio, just like the character in the song, to record it. The follow-up, a version of the Miracles’ “Way Over There,” missed the charts altogether. For more information, visit or call (804) 592-3368.But since walking through the doors of 2648 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, all he had to show for his Motown output in hit terms was a No.45 R&B chart peak for “I Am The Man For You Baby,” in 1968. “They’re almost like the second actor in the show.”īroadway in Richmond’s “Ain’t Too Proud” plays July 11-16 at the Altria Theater, 6 N. “From the very beginning of the show, we’re encouraging the crowd to participate,” Holmes says. With so many beloved hits in the show, Holmes says audience interaction is a key component of the musical’s success. ![]() That’s what I try to bring to him every night, that fun.” “He was just the heart and soul, the one that loved being a Temptation more than anything, and it’s apparent on stage. “He was the fun energy of the group,” Holmes says. Holmes says when other members wanted to quit, Franklin was the one trying to keep the Temptations together. Onstage, Holmes portrays Melvin Franklin, a member of the Temptations from the group’s founding in the early 1960s until his death in 1995. They were actually the first to record it, but Berry Gordy didn’t believe in it and thought it was too political” for the Temptations. “I didn’t know the Temptations originally recorded the song ‘War,’ which was made famous by Edwin Starr. They actually hated the song,” Holmes explains. “I didn’t know that they didn’t love every song that they were going to record, ‘Papa Was a Rolling Stone,’ which was one of their biggest hits. Though Holmes was a huge fan of the Temptations before he was cast in the show, he was surprised to learn certain details of their story through the musical. With a book by MacArthur Fellow Dominique Morisseau and Tony-winning choreography by Sergio Trujillo, “Ain’t Too Proud” has higher aims than your garden variety jukebox musical. “It’s pretty incredible that their songs have lasted and stood the test of time.” “You get a chance to see their backstory and the things they were dealing with as a group while making this great music that America loves,” Holmes says. What’s less known – and what this musical aims to illuminate – are the stories behind the songs as the group navigated egos, fame, drug use and the unrest of the 1960s. The Temptations are widely known for their songs, intricate choreography, distinct harmonies and dapper dress. Since December, Holmes has been on the road with the Broadway tour of the musical, telling the tale of the legendary Motown group responsible for hits like “My Girl,” “I Wish It Would Rain,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” There’s a certain amount of breath control that you have to have to pull that off.” “I’m playing the bass of the group, so I’m singing super low notes. “It was a lot of being in the gym looking crazy,” says Holmes of his efforts to build up his stamina for the singing and dancing demands of the role. prepared to portray bass singer Melvin Franklin in the Temptations musical “Ain’t Too Proud,” which lands at the Altria Theater on Tuesday for a six-day residency. These are just a few ways that actor Harrell Holmes Jr. High Intensity Interval Training workouts and singing. ![]()
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