Interview: Jasmine Barboa of AIN'T TOO PROUD at Robinson Center

I love Motown music, so when I heard Celebrity Attractions was bringing AIN'T TOO PROUD to Robinson from Friday through Sunday, Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, I was beyond excited. I was even more thrilled to learn I’d get the chance to speak with the talented and beautiful Jasmine Barboa, who portrays the iconic Diana Ross and other influential women connected to The Temptations. If you haven't gotten your tickets for this amazing show, visit their website at https://www.celebrityattractions.com, or call (501) 244-8800. 

BWW: So, it’s super cool you guys are coming to Arkansas. How long have you been on tour?  

Jasmine Barboa: We've been on tour since early September.  

BWW: Are you enjoying being on tour?  

Jasmine: I am. It's a lot of fun. I know some people can get tired of routine and this definitely doesn't have a lot of routine because it's travel one day, this the next, so it definitely keeps things interesting and fresh for sure.  

BWW: Is this your first tour? 

Jasmine: This is my first tour. It's my first national tour, and, fun fact, it's actually my first full musical, which is really cool.  

BWW: Ohh wow. So, what have you done before this? 

Jasmine: I was working at Hong Kong Disneyland as a vocalist for almost three years.  

BWW: Ohh, wow!  

Jasmine: Yes, a lot of fun, lots of magic.  

BWW: That's awesome. Did you learn how to speak the language?  

Jasmine: No, I learned how to get back home if need be and phrases like thank you and good morning, but mostly everybody pretty much spoke English. It was a big mixing pot of everyone from everywhere. So. it's pretty easy to get through.  

BWW: Were the shows in English?  

Jasmine: Yes, they were. I was in their Lion King show as Nala and the Princess show as Tiana, but they were all in English. They usually had Cantonese characters who would also summarize certain parts and the princesses sang in English, but Mickey Mouse and all of his friends actually spoke in Cantonese which was really fun to listen to.  

BWW: That is so cool. How do you get a job like that?  

Jasmine: So I always loved singing, always performing, but it was never what I studied in college. It was just, I never thought that was something you could really do, you know? 

BWW: Right. 

Jasmine: In college I worked for a Princess party performing little jobs and a lot of the girls had actually worked for Disney. So, midway through college I realized that all I wanted to do is sing and be a performer, but I had no idea where to start, so I thought Disney would be my step one. Well, I had gotten into the Disney program and the world turned upside down, as we all know, the lovely COVID. 

BWW: right 

Jasmine: So, I was out of college early with nowhere to go, but because of that, auditions went online, and I was able to submit self tapes for things that I wouldn't have been able to make out to in New York or anything like that. And after a year of auditioning and a few call backs, I booked Hong Kong Disney,  

BWW: That is so amazing.  

Jasmine: It was wonderful. I'm super grateful for everything, and there were some fun things mixed in there. I worked with a professional cover band before and of course an a cappella group was thrown in there somewhere, but it was really cool to actually make this a career.  

BWW: Yeah. So, you went from Hong Kong to doing Ain't Too Proud. 

Jasmine: Yeah, So right after Hong Kong, I moved to New York and had the New York dream as all of us artists do of audition audition audition, and let's hope and pray, and when Ain’t Too Proud came up, I auditioned. It was super exciting because as I was looking at the music and the performance, these were songs that I had grown up with, not like my grandparents had grown up with, but I was around it, and I was really familiar. So, I was super excited to just be in an audition room singing songs that I knew. So that was really cool, and then I got the call back and I got the official offer, and it's just been a whirlwind of excitement from there. Just to be able to play iconic characters that people know is incredible.  

BWW: That's fantastic. Well I'm super excited about it. It would have been my parents music, not my grandparents music, but anyway, I really enjoyed this genre for sure.  

Jasmine: And my family's very excited to see it. 

BWW: Have they not seen it yet?  

Jasmine: Only one of my family members have seen it and he's not a musical person, but after the show he was so excited. He's like, ‘It was so good. I knew all the songs. The audience was dancing along.’ Normally he falls asleep in a musical, so the fact that this one kept him up and excited is the best thing ever. So I'm definitely sure my family members are going to love it.  

BWW: Are they waiting till you get closer to home or?  

Jasmine: Yes. So I'm actually from Albuquerque, NM, and we are stopping there on our tour. My entire family will be able to see me, which is really exciting because it's also the first place I ever saw a Broadway musical. We will be at the Popejoy Theater in Albuquerque, and it's going to be a very big full circle moment for me for sure.  

BWW: So, you're enjoying the touring life? 

Jasmine: I am. It's really cool just being able to see parts of places in the states that I never thought I would ever touch. You know, just traveling around, getting to all the little small towns. I've definitely eaten a little bit more Taco Bell than I've ever intended to eat, but I'm not mad about it. But, it's really fun and the cast is so great and amazing, and it really works. So, I'm glad that this is my first experience, and it just goes up from here, you know. 

BWW: right. Ok, Tell me about bonding with the cast.  

Jasmine: We’re full of just fun personality. From the beginning of rehearsals, we were having the best time. I mean, with this type of music and dancing, it's really easy to get excited for it, and even to this day, we just have fun. We get excited anytime someone does something really exciting and cool. We're backstage hooting and hollering for them, which is cool. So the bonding has been really nice and we're a good group-- We're a group of people.  

BWW: What are your future goals after this tour? I mean, it looks like things are just falling into place for you.  

Jasmine: We hope that they keep falling into place. Definitely after this tour, I'll be going back to New York. Doing the audition thing as we all do, and hopefully there will be something after this. If not, this has just been an amazing experience and I've definitely learned a lot from the start and hope I can bring that into new audition rooms, but I'm kind of one of those people that just want to do everything and anything that's exciting to me. So, I don't set my sights too much on specifics. Let's see what comes.  

BWW: Yes! Let's see what comes. Those are the best jobs. 

Jasmine: Definitely. As my story tracks it's worked out, so I'm not going to fix it.  

BWW: That's exciting! I'm excited for you. So, what advice would you give to aspiring actors who dream of being on a national tour?  

Jasmine: I would say-- When I auditioned, I wasn't sure I was what they were looking for, and I kind of went in with the ‘I don't think I'm what they're looking for’ attitude which took off the pressure for me. It’s a pretty backwards way to think, but they just want to see your specific qualities. I originally was auditioning for a role that I didn't get, which I'm very glad for because Diana is amazing. But you never know what they're thinking in the audition room. So, don’t stress yourself out with the specifics and just bring YOU into that room. I think one of my choreographers or directors had said that they found a quote from somebody and was like ‘do it one way and then, great, now do it how you would do it.’ Do it yourself. And that was one of the biggest things. So I'd say, audition with YOU in mind. 

BWW: Great advice. OK, so I have an idea of what I'm in for with this show, but tell me, what can we expect out of AIN’T TOO PROUD?  

Jasmine: You’re definitely going to expect the classics, the excitement of knowing the songs, but what a lot of people I usually hear leaving is there's so much information that people didn't know about the Temptations or The Supremes and all of the little intricacies that made them who they are....all the hardships and troubles, mixed with all the amazing, incredible, exciting songs is real lives that were people going through big things. I think that is one of the biggest things that people take away, Also there may be some people dancing in the seats-- Every time.  

BWW: I like fun audiences, but sometimes, you never know. You never know what kind of audience you're going to get. How do you handle the different audiences? How do y’all adjust when maybe they're not dancing in their seats? 

Jasmine: I think as performers, we all hope to see a hoot and a holler or a laugh or dancing in the crowd, but if we don't, I feel like it almost energizes us even more to kind of get it out of them. But each show has its own little thing. Sometimes audiences will laugh at a part, sometimes they won't laugh at a part, but I think we do what we do every single night and hope for the best. But we do get a little extra electric buzz anytime we hear an auntie go ‘yeah.’  

BWW: What would be your favorite moment in the show?  

Jasmine: Well I won't give the obvious of The Supremes even though I do love that moment, but I would say that my absolute favorite moment is the top of Act II, our song I Can't Get Next to You. The boys are dancing their faces off. And it’s also a fun little moment where David Ruffin is on stage, and he shouldn't be on stage. And it's very, very hilarious to me. I love the way our guys do that part. It's fantastic.  

BWW: OK, so of course, we know who Diana Ross is. Who is Josephine?  

Jasmine: Josephine is Otis Williams’ wife—ex-wife I would say now. They had a child together. They met when they were quite young, and she got pregnant with Otis's son Lamont. So, in the story, Josephine goes through a hard time because when your husband is a huge star and you're left at home with the kid, there could be some struggles, and the show kind of talks about the sacrifices that they make with family. 

BWW: Right. OK. So are you Josaphine as well? Are you doubling up?  

Jasmine: Yes, I'm doubling up. All the girls play multiple people. I am Diana Ross and Josaphine, but they do a very good job of distinguishing between who's who. I'm also Harry Borden's secretary for a lot of it as well, which is a lot of fun, but they definitely do a very good job between the costumes and the wigs to make sure that the audience knows for a fact that this is Josephine or Diana, as well as with the other girls who play roles like Tammy Terrell and Mary Wilson, all of them. 

BWW: Well, I can’t wait to see the show. I do have one last question. I ask this of all of my touring artists. When you get to a new town, what is the thing you do when you have a little free time? One said they look for Christmas ornaments for their mom, and another said that they visit the Presidential libraries if there is one. What is something special that you do in each city? 

Jasmine: I wish I was as cool as those people, but unfortunately, I think my thing is to find the nearest Taco Bell. I love a good Taco Bell. My tour people know me as that. I think I have tried every Taco Bell in the different states that we've been in, and I definitely have rated them. 

BWW: I'm trying to think if there's a Taco Bell downtown, since you'll be in downtown Little Rock.  

Jasmine: I have found that they are everywhere that you would least expect them.  

BWW: Is there a state that you've had your favorite Taco Bell yet?  

Jasmine: Actually, there is. The best state I have ever had Taco Bell on the tour was in Columbia, SC. I don't know why, but that was one of the best ones I've ever had.  

BWW: OK, well, good luck with that Taco Bell endeavor. I hope Arkansas’ Taco Bell is great! And thank you so much for talking with me. I look forward to seeing the show! 

AIN’T TOO PROUD will be at Robinson Center Friday through Sunday, Jan. 31 to Feb 2. For tickets, visit their website at https://www.celebrityattractions.com, or call (501) 244-8800. 

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