Jelani Remy on Returning to Ain't Too Proud on Broadway: 'We're Back, but Back With All That We've Been Through'

Jelani Remy was wowing audiences as Eddie Kendricks in Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations when Broadway shut down in March 2020. The crowd-pleasing musical resumed performances at the Imperial Theatre on October 16, 2021. On the latest episode of The Broadway Show, Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek caught up with Remy at The Redeye Grill.

Remy was able to keep in touch with hisco-stars—James Harkness, Matt Manuel, Jawan M. Jackson and Nik Walker—during the pandemic. "We got to do the Macy's Day Parade, this year. We got to do One Night Only: The Best of Broadway. We got to do the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting. So, we had opportunities that brought us back together again, which I'm grateful for," he said. "Just to see the people that we've loved for so long and have built our show with, to see the team again—we're lucky. We're definitely lucky."

According to Remy, hitting the Imperial stage feels different this time around, especially during the numbers that spotlight the civil unrest during The Temptations' rise to stardom. "We are back, but to be back with all that we've been through—having our joy taken away, seeing the world change. Just knowing that The Temptations went through that, with their own music, gave me a whole new perspective of what the show is about," he said. "Ain't Too Proud is a celebration of good music and good people. The Temptations brought so many people to the dance floor, no matter what color you were. I'm so proud to be able to bring something like this back into our Broadway community."

Watch the interview below, and head here to check your local listings for The Broadway Show. Hosted by Emmy-winning anchor Tamsen Fadal, it is the only nationally syndicated weekly theater news program.