INTERVIEW: The maestro behind Broadway’s hit, ‘Ain’t Too Proud’
Photo: From left, Ephraim Skyes, Jeremy Pope, Jawan M. Jackson, James Harkness and Derrick Baskin star in Ain’t Too Proud on Broadway. Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy / Provided by DKC O&M with permission.
Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations is one of the hits of the Broadway season. Audiences have been flocking to the Imperial Theatre to experience the story of this influential Motown group, learning about the life stories behind the music and tapping their toes to the infectious songs.
And what songs!
Ain’t Too Proud features a songbook like none other on Broadway. Tunes include “For Once in My Life,” “Get Ready,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” and “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,” among many others.
The man responsible for the music of the show is Kenny Seymour, who serves as music director, conductor, keyboardist and arranger. Seymour is an alumnus of several Broadway shows, such as Amazing Grace, Memphis and Hot Feet. He has been with the Temptations show since its early inception.
“We started a five-week workshop, and that was in early 2017,” Seymour said in a recent phone interview. “Prior to that, I had been prepping the piano vocals and getting things ready for the first day of the workshop, but after that five-week workshop, we then had a brief hiatus and went to Berkeley, California, and put a production up there at Berkeley Rep, which did extremely well. And then there was a series of out-of-town stops before we came into New York, so we ended up leaving Berkeley and heading to the Kennedy Center in D.C. and then the Ahmanson in Los Angeles and then the Princess of Wales in Toronto, Canada. And then we had gotten the news that the Imperial was going to be our new home.”
And the Imperial will likely be the home of Ain’t Too Proud for quite some time. It is regularly part of Broadway’s so-called millionaire’s club, selling out every performance and grossing a healthy income each week. Seymour is a presence both behind the scenes and in the pit, where he conducts the orchestra and plays keyboards each night.
“As the music director, in the early stages of the production, you’re kind of the all-around music department person, so you’re preparing the piano vocals, getting things ready for the first day of rehearsal so that you can walk in and teach music and, once the read-through is done, start developing the piece,” he said. “I also play and conduct the show eight times a week. I have a wonderful associate music director, Rick [Hip-Flores], who when I sit out and take notes, he conducts, and then it also involves maintenance as far as just making sure that there’s a consistent musical quality to the show, both within the band and within the cast. And as supervisor, any subsequent tours that should arise, I end up going up and setting up those tours along with the rest of the creatives. It’s kind of a varied bag of musical responsibilities, but you’re basically the head of the music department.”
Before joining the creative team, Seymour was familiar with the Temptations music. He actually had a personal connection to the recording industry and the Broadway community thanks to the careers of his parents. His father was a member of the band Little Anthony and the Imperials, and his mother was an original company member for Hair on Broadway.
“I think it was so prominent throughout my upbringing,” Seymour said of music in the house at a young age. “My mom used to play Brazilian music in the house, Sergio Mendes, and we used to go to classical concerts out in Central Park to see the New York Philharmonic. I don’t really remember, but I am aware that when I was young and my mom was in Hair, I was a tech baby. So I was in the audience during tech, so it’s been a part of my upbringing from an early age, from playing piano when I was about 4 and then started singing jingles, believe it or not, and doing voiceovers from the age of 7.”
This unique upbringing also meant that Seymour encountered the Temptations’ music from a young age.
“I think it’s the soundtrack of so many people’s lives, young and old,” he said. “As far as doing research, I really wanted to maintain the musical integrity of what they created, of what the Temptations and the Funk Brothers, which were the musicians who actually performed for a lot of the Motown recordings, what they had created and what still resonates with people today. I did a decent amount of research, and hopefully that comes through in the presentation. … Funny, funny fact — my bass player, George Farmer, has the same bass that James Jamerson, who was a bass player for the Funk Brothers, the same Fender Precision that he played on some of the original recordings. So there’s a certain integrity that I’m very happy that I can maintain throughout the music and throughout the production.”
Seymour loves working with this cast of actors, singers and dancers. There’s Derrick Baskin, James Harkness, Jawan M. Jackson and Ephraim Sykes, among many others.
“We have a phenomenal cast,” Seymour said. “I think that everybody, even some of the cast who may not have grown up with the music, they are so familiar with it, and it’s such a part of their DNA and such a part of the musical experience today that there is a familiarity and a common thread that goes throughout the entire cast when it comes to this music. Plus, they’re all at the top of their game. A few members I have worked with on previous shows. Derrick Baskin I worked with on Memphis, along with Ephraim Sykes, and my rhythm section are also some musicians who played with me on previous shows.”
Because Seymour is often in the pit of the orchestra — greeting the audience each night, looking up at the cast and helping to bring the Temptations’ music to life — he has perhaps the most unique perspective on this hit Broadway musical. He is the conduit between the stage show and the assembled crowd eight times a week.
“It’s always wonderful to have a successful show and to know that you can continue to bring that experience to people for a prolonged amount of time,” he said. “There’s a certain thrill that permeates throughout the entire company, throughout the entire building. I think that for me especially, because I am a piano player and the music is so iconic and it’s so heartfelt and it’s even to this day still so relevant, every night is a thrill.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, featuring the musical direction, conducting, arrangements and keyboard playing of Kenny Seymour, is now playing Broadway’s Imperial Theatre. Click here for more information and tickets.
