BY KAREN BOSSICK
They’ve had to learn “The Temptations Walk.” And the unmistakable blend of voices that produced some of Motown’s top hits, including “My Girl,” “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” “I Can’t Get Next to You,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Just My Imagination” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.”
It’s not easy following in the dance steps of the three-time Grammy Award winners who had 42 Top Ten hits—14 of which reached No. 1 on the charts.
But now a group of five talented singers and actors are ready to roll out two weeks of hard work created just for a Sun Valley audience.
It’ll all take place on Friday when 42/7 Productions present a Temptations Tribute at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Sun Valley Pavilion.
“It’s a blast from the past featuring The Temptations’ most popular songs,” said Mary Jo Helmeke, whose Sun Valley Opera commissioned the new work. “They’ll be acting as if they are the Temptations, providing some narration and showmanship.”
Sun Valley Opera representatives went fishing for a knock-your-socks-off Motown pops concert as a fundraiser to help pay for the concerts in Sun Valley Opera’s upcoming Winter Festival.
But they could not find a Temptations tribute group that had the energy they wanted.
So, Sun Valley Opera hired New York producer Mike Evariste and choreographer Rickey Tripp to create a brand new Temptations Tribute, which the Opera is presenting with Sun Valley Resort.
The two co-directors came with stellar resumes: Evariste is the Tony-nominated co-producer of the Broadway play “Disgraced.” And choreographer Rickey Tripp has performed in “Hamilton: An American Musical” and “Motown: The Musical.”
The two found five young performers from New York, who perform all over the world, including Broadway.
Rashad Naylor, for instance, appeared in Broadway’s “Hairspray,” “Jersey Boys” and “Motown: The Musical,” as well as national tours of “Rock of Ages” and “Book of Mormon.” Marcus Paul James performed in Broadway’s “Motown: The Musical,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning “In the Heights” and Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award-winning “Rent.”
Jonathan Burke was in the original Broadway cast of “Tuck Everlasting,” in addition to performing on national tours of “Mary Poppins,” “A Christmas Story: The Musical,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Cats.”
Joshua Keith performed on the national tour of “Dirty Dancing,” and Jared Joseph appeared as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in “Ragtime.”
The five will duplicate The Temptations’ sound and choreography, while adding a modern-day flair to old school performing.
It’s not so much an impersonation of the group but a celebration of their success, said Evariste.
“We wanted to get a different take where we’re not doing the same exact thing but injecting a few new movements and young voices,” he said. “It’s more modern, but it feels as if it’s back in 1965. We’re not trying to replicate the Temptations as much as we’re trying to replicate the same feel, the same essence, the same spirit.”
The group started working on the concert on Aug. 13 and has been spending six hour days at the “office” Mondays through Fridays learning music, choreography and dialogue.
“The Temptations had a lot of hand gestures and a lot of movement—all of which take a lot of work,” said Evariste. “They had a soulfulness and an eloquence--very fluid movements that just flowed into one another. Then, of course, they had those amazing vocals that just elevated their performance.”
It was those voices that set The Temptations apart from other Motown groups, Evariste said.
“Each of the Temptations had his own unique voice and they combined those voices to create one voice, which was The Temptations. That’s what we’re doing here. We’ve brought together five separate voices--each very talented-- to create one voice,” he said.
“We’re excited to do it this first time and, hopefully, there’ll be some booking agents in Sun Valley—or someone gets wind of it--so we can do it again.”
Tickets for Friday’s concert start at $35 and are available at 208-622-2135 or online at www.sunvalley.ticketfly.com.
GET A SNEAK PREVIEW TONIGHT
A Diva Party will precede The Temptations concert tonight—Thursday, Aug. 30--at a private home at 319 River Run Drive in Ketchum. Tickets will include a hosted cocktail party, entertainment by The Temptations Tribute group and premiere seating in the Sun Valley Pavilion for the next night’s concert.
Tickets for the Diva Party are $175--$75 of which is tax deductible. Attendees are invited to wear their best ‘60s fashions from Twiggy mod to bell bottoms. For information, contact Sun Valley Opera at 208-726-0991 or visit www.sunvalleyopera.com.
WINTER FESTIVAL STARTS WITH HOLIDAY PERFORMANCE
Mary Jo Helmeke, director of the Sun Valley Opera, says most of the concerts in Sun Valley Opera’s Winter Festival will be in the new Argyros Performing Arts Center, starting with “a glittering glamorous holiday performance.”
“We’re really knocking it out of the ballpark this winter,” she added.