With so many hit songs, it’s hard to choose just one favorite Temptations tune.

“I’ve always loved ‘My Girl,’” said Rudy Foster, who plays Otis Williams in the touring production of “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations” coming to Walton Arts Center this month. “I think it’s just such a classic, romantic song and you get that bass line going and the harmonies and everything. It’s so fun to do it every night.”

“My Girl” is just one of the many songs to get the crowd singing and clapping. Written by three-time Obie Award winner Dominique Morisseau and based on the 1989 memoir, “The Temptations,” by founding member Otis Williams (who still performs with the group) the musical includes songs like “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “I Wish It Would Rain” and other classic Motown melodies.

“So many times it feels like the whole crowd is singing along and clapping,” Foster said. “By the time we get to our big rousing finale, we’ve got folks up out of their seats.”

Foster said the show is more than a jukebox musical, the story covers the highs and lows of the group from their Detroit beginnings to their rise to stardom alongside superstars like Diana Ross and The Supremes and Smokey Robinson with acclaimed Motown record executive Berry Gordy Jr.

“I think it ends on such a triumphant note that people are dancing their way on out of the theater,” Foster said. After seeing the story, he thinks it will help fans better appreciate the songs. Like many of us, Foster grew up listening to Motown artists with his parents and grandparents. Decades later, he said the music is still a strong part of the American story and the fabric of our culture.

“I dare you to go to a restaurant or the mall or somewhere and not hear a Motown song or specifically a Temptation song even today,” he said. Like his castmates, his familiarity with The Temptations music and dance moves helped him while preparing for the “dazzling and smooth” choreography based on the original dance moves by The Temptations.

According to the show’s press, the musical broke house records at Berkeley Rep, The Kennedy Center and Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre. It opened on Broadway in March 2019 and was nominated for 11 Tonys with Choreographer Sergio Trujillo taking home the 2019 Tony for Best Choreography.

Foster said he first saw “Ain’t Too Proud” during its Broadway run and loved it immediately. The Tennessee native who now lives in New York City started singing as a child. He joined the Chattanooga Boys Choir when he was eight years old. In middle school, he took his first trip to New York and after seeing his first Broadway musical, he decided he wanted to be on stage as both an actor and a singer. The University of Chicago graduate has also sung and danced in “Sister Act,” “Hair” and “Les Misérables” for regional theater. “Ain’t Too Proud” is his touring debut.

His motto is “let’s grow and let’s glow.”

“I always strive to continue to learn, to continue to grow, to get better and better at everything that I do,” Foster said. “It sort of goes back to, ‘This light of mine.’ Letting it shine. As you grow, as you learn, apply that to what you do and to who you are and let the world see it. Let’s grow and let’s go!”

“Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations,” comes to the Walton Arts Center for three week night performances at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 and at 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23. The show will be on stage Jan. 28-30 at Juanita K. Hammons Hall in Springfield, Mo., before a run at Robinson Music Hall in Little Rock Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. Learn more about the show at ainttooproudmusical.com.

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FAQ

“Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations”

WHAT – Featuring the hit music of the legendary Motown quintet, “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations” follows The Temptations’ journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with their signature dance moves and silky-smooth harmonies, according to the Walton Arts Center website. The story was adapted by Dominique Morisseau from founding member Otis Williams’ 1989 biography of the group and directed by Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys), and features the Tony-winning choreography of Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, On Your Feet!). The show is part of the Coca-Cola Night Out Series.

WHEN – 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 and at 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23.

WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville

TICKETS – $45 and up

INFO —waltonartscenter.org