Interview: Marcus Paul James of AIN'T TOO PROUD at Peace Center

You know the songs.

"My Girl," "Just My Imagination," "Get Ready," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone."

But do you know the story behind the music?

AIN'T TOO PROUD - THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS follows the beloved Motown group's journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, ultimately landing them 42 Top Ten Hits.

Written by three-time Obie Award winner Dominique Morisseau, directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff (JERSEY BOYS) and featuring the Tony-winning choreography of Sergio Trujillo (JERSEY BOYS, ON YOUR FEET!), the Broadway production of AIN'T TOO PROUD is currently touring the country, arriving at Greenville, SC's Peace Center August 2-7.

Marcus Paul James plays Otis Williams, founder and last surviving original member of The Temptations. We asked Marcus to share his experience with us.

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Please tell us a little about yourself.

Well my name is Marcus Paul James and I have the honor and pleasure of playing the role of Otis Williams and AIN'T TOO PROUD - THE LFIE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS. I'm originally from Brooklyn, NY, and I still live in the city now.

What are some other shows you've done?

The first show I had the pleasure of being in was RENT, the original company. Then I ended up doing IN THE HEIGHTS with Lin-Manuel - before we knew he was going to be THE Lin-Manuel. Them I went back to RENT off Broadway for a little bit, then into MOTOWN THE MUSICAL. Then I went to I MISS YOU LIKE HELL, a play with Daphne Rubin-Vega, written by Quiara Alegría Hudes. And then that led me to AIN'T TOO PROUD.

Are any of the songs you sang in MOTOWN also in AIN'T TOO PROUD, where you've already done a little practicing of the songs?

Well, there are a couple numbers that repeat, but I'd say most of my practicing of these songs is from life, you know? What's wonderful to me is that Motown music is not only American music, it's music that's attached to our culture. Like my mother played it every Saturday. When I heard that music, it was time to clean, I knew I had to clean something. So I've been singing and knowing this music and these men since I was a child. It was my mother's era of music. It's always been a part of our lives. But once I did the MOTOWN show, I realized that everywhere you go - everywhere - there's a Motown song playing. It's in every convenience store, when you're eating in a restaurant. You probably don't even notice it, but once you do, you realize that there is always Motown music playing somewhere, in every city. It's actually become a part of the American fabric. It's hard to actually NOT have heard them!

Right? And what about The Temptations themselves, what did you know about their story going into this?

Well, very little. There's a movie that came out last summer, during the pandemic, called THE SUMMER OF SOUL. It was basically a concert that happened in New York, in Harlem, the same year as Woodstock and the moon landing. But it was actually bigger than Woodstock. It's what actually gave people the idea of doing Woodstock up north later on, but it was a huge music festival that was primarily all black people and all types of artists came through there. And the whole idea was that the people who shot it, couldn't sell it to anybody. Nobody wanted to hear this story. No one. There was not interest in telling these black stories. It was more interesting to talk about the lunar landing and then when Woodstock happened that took over everything else. This was like a five-week special. So I say all that to say that I realized that our stories were not necessarily being told. So, I never heard these stories. I never heard them until I actually got to speak to the people involved, or do the research and then start to read the books. So I did not know the story. Shamefully, I did not know the history of The Temptations, or what they had been through or really when they existed. Until I actually started doing the work and then talking to Otis himself and hearing the stories from the mouth of the man. And it's like, whoa, that's crazy.

I think that speaks to the power of a show like this, because as you say, the product of these stories are woven into the very fabric of the country, they are everywhere, and yet we don't know the stories behind it. How great it is that we are starting to hear the stories!

Yeah absolutely, especially in this time now, when history really needs to be told in a truthful way. It's so wonderful to be able to share this story around the country and to see fans connect with it in ways that they're going "I know the songs, I didn't know that that was happening in the background!" And you're like, yeah, it was quite a time.

So you got to spend some time with the actual Otis Williams?

Yeah. Doctor Otis. But we call him Uncle, though. He's been a part of the process from the beginning. He was part of getting the show even started, and then he was at our rehearsals, he calls and checks in on us every two to three weeks, so yeah, he's very much the same man he's been for 80 years.

Oh my gosh, that's fantastic. What an opportunity for you to kind of learn at the feet of a living master!

I know! it's pretty, um, I would say, daunting, the idea of playing someone who is still alive and still very close on stage. But in our show we don't particularly try to imitate anyone or impersonate anyone. We try to take the best of their values and their characters and then pour it onto the stage. So it's been really helpful to actually hear his stories. I literally just listen most of the time and ask questions. And he will talk and tell stories and just listening to them, even when you've heard them already, you're like, "Tell it again!" I just want to make sure I have every detail. It's been so valuable to actually have someone to corroborate what's on the page.

What kind of responses have you been getting from crowds?

It's been nothing short of amazing. We literally go from people who, well, we have barely said a couple words and they are already screaming like fans at a Temptations concert, to people who are staring at us and don't move at all until the end. It's a fun challenge to see what each house, what each city is going to be like. And when you see the show, you'll see that Otis breaks the Fourth Wall a lot, so I talk to the audience a lot. They're my scene partners! They're my other character in the show, and I never know what that other character is going to be. And it's different every show. But literally it's been nothing but great. And for me, seeing the love and enjoyment and watching people learn and watching people dance - it's really fantastic.

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AIN'T TOO PROUD - THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS plays at The Peace Center August 2-7. Tickets are selling out quickly, so contact the box office for availability at 864-467-3000 or online at peacecenter.org.

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