When “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations” comes to the Saenger Theatre Tuesday, it will be a homecoming for Devin Holloway.
A native of New Orleans East, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts alumnus will appear in the show in a variety of roles, including Richard Street, who replaced original group member Paul Williams when he became ill.
“I am a bit of a character actor in the show,” said Holloway. “I play 11 different characters,” including a judge, a drug dealer and an interviewer.
The Tony-winning show looks at the phenomenal success of the iconic men’s group known for their tight harmonies and dance moves as they rose to fame amid the Civil Rights movement and internal drama.
The show includes such recognizable chart toppers as “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready” and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone.”
The sound of The Temptations is nothing new for Holloway, now based in New York City.
“I grew up listening to Motown and The Temptations,” he said recently in a phone interview while touring with the show. “They were very much a part of my life.”
His life has taken some interesting turns. When Hurricane Katrina smashed the city, Holloway went to Gonzales and attended East Ascension Senior High School there, with a year of attending St. Augustine back in New Orleans. During his tenure in Gonzales, Holloway auditioned for a summer musical and was set on a course that has led him to steady work in theater.
He continued to attend NOCCA. Eventually he auditioned and enrolled at Emerson College, where he received his degree.
“Since graduating, I have kind of been working nonstop,” something he said he is thankful for.
And while he makes it home a couple of times a year, he said, there are parallels between a life on the road and the underlying message of “Ain’t Too Proud.”
“The whole crux of the show is ‘was it all worth it?’,” he said. “The audience is a bit of a jury.” The show looks at the “trials and tribulations they all suffered” in their relationships.
“You get to see the not-so-shiny part of how they came together,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I think it was worth it, but there were sacrifices,” something Holloway said he understands completely.
“I’ve missed funerals, I’ve missed weddings … I’ve made sacrifices to do what I love.”
A clever artist, Holloway uses those life experiences in his craft.
“It makes it easier to tap into those scenes because I’m doing it right now,” he said. ” ‘Life imitates art.’ For me, I don’t know where the life begins and the art begins. I’ve been touring for 11 years. It all kind of begins to mesh together.”
The mesh will get stronger for the actor when he makes his debut on the Canal Street stage (“I’ve never been inside the Saenger Theatre”) and when he gets to enjoy his grandmother’s jambalaya and take a solo stroll that has become a ritual on his home returns.
The show will also be a bit of an emotional moment for Holloway as the New Orleans stop will be the final for this tour.
“It’s very bittersweet,” he said.
Tickets for “Ain’t Too Proud” start at $35. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27-29, at 8 p.m. March 1-2, at 2 p.m. March 2 and at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. March 3. Visit neworleans.broadway.com.