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Ain't Too Proud Scribe Dominique Morisseau on Her Deep Connection with Detroit & What Would Be Better Than Her 'Genius' Grant
by Lindsey Sullivan • May 21, 2019
Dominique Morisseau
(Photos: Caitlin McNaney for Broadway.com)
Ain't Too Proud (Photo by Matthew Murphy)
Dominique Morisseau is an acclaimed playwright, known for works like Detroit '67, Paradise Blue, Skeleton Crew, Pipeline and more. Now, she is celebrating her first Tony nomination for her Broadway debut: penning the book for Ain't Too Proud. The Temptations musical hit garnered 12 Tony Award nominations. "It feels good for us because it's a team effort," she said in a recent interview with Beth Stevens on Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "Our show has this mantra about being a team—the group is more important than the individual. You have to really know what they went through to appreciate the art that they are giving you. I was not thinking of me [on Tony nomination morning]. My concern was for my cast." Stars Derrick Baskin, Jeremy Pope and Ephraim Sykes all received nominations for their triple-threat performances. "I do feel like it's a nod to me as a writer when these people that I wrote these roles for get nominated," Morisseau explained. "I feel like I did my job as a writer. Getting nominated for myself, that's extra. That's icing."
Otis Williams, the founding and surviving member of the Temptations, provided a lot of insight on the group for Morisseau during her writing process. "So many members of the Temptations were still alive when he wrote the memoir [The Temptations]. He's now the last one standing. We got to the bottom of some things that I think he was a little safer or protective with years ago," she said. "He was so gracious, but he got really emotional when I asked him, 'How's it feel to be the last man standing?' That told me a lot."
Ain't Too Proud tells the story of the Classic Five Temptations and what they sacrificed to become Motown legends, but there is an additional character Morisseau wanted to explore in her telling. "Detroit had to be a character in the story for me. This is where they are from. This is who made them," she said. Morisseau, a Detroit native who now lives in Los Angeles, so the group's rise resonates with her. "I have about 250-300 family members in Detroit, so when you're talking about Detroit, you are literally talking about my family," she explained. Hailed for her three-play cycle The Detroit Project, her hometown is one that has been at the forefront of her playwriting career. "I think understanding the way the city sits in juxtaposition to the rest of the nation, what kind of metaphor it becomes for the nation—all of those things compel me," she explained. "These forgotten cities or these cities that people write off with urban blight—there are kids here. People are growing and living here. How can you write these places off?"
Morisseau's talents were recognized last year when she won a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant. "The funny thing is that came at a time when I was in a very heavy, overwhelmed work space, so I wasn't taking calls," Morrisseau said. "I had my assistant protecting me so I could work. I kept getting this call on my cell phone that I did not recognize. I was like, 'Who is this calling me?' I finally did call back. They were like, 'Hi! We're trying to give you an award.' So, that was magic."
To be sure, the MacArthur "Genius" Grant is a coveted accolade, but nothing beats Oprah's approval! The multi-hyphenate mogul recently attended a performance of Ain't Too Proud. "Oprah jumped up and down when she came backstage. I saw Oprah lift off the ground," Morisseau said. "That was special. When a celebrity of Oprah's magnitude knights you, the genius grant is forgotten."
Watch the full episode of #LiveatFive below, and catch Ain't Too Proud at Broadway's Imperial Theatre!
Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations
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