Horsham date for Temptations tribute show

It plays The Capitol in Horsham on Saturday, March 2.

From their first hit, The Way You Do The Things You Do in 1964, through the career highs of My Girl, Ain’t Too Proud, Get Ready, Papa Was A Rolling Stone and Just My Imagination, The Temptations have enjoyed a remarkable story of success which is still going strong.

Producer Mark Halliday said: “The idea started a few years ago. When I was a performer in a previous life I did a show called Jersey Boys in the West End. It was ten years ago, 2013-14, and it was wonderful. The director and the choreographer of that show four years later did The Life Story of The Temptations on Broadway, and knowing them, my interest was piqued. I started looking at what they were doing and I just realised it was the most amazing music and there wasn't anything like it here. I started looking into it, just the idea of doing a Temptations concert show.

“The Temptations were the cornerstone of Motown. They were one of the most successful acts and they really put Motown on the map. And they're still doing it. They started in the 1960s and they have got the most incredible back catalogue of songs from the classic era right through to the big shoulder pads and sequin jacket era of the 80s. They did some incredible harmonies and they were one of the first bands to put choreography into their act.

“Our concept for the show is that this is the concert that never was. A lot of big Temptations fans consider the classic five to be the original and the best version of The Temptations, back in the 1960s. It was the classic five that really put The Temptations on the map. Since then 27 people have worn The Temptations jacket. There's only one original member left now in the group and he is 82. Otherwise 27 other people have been Temptations since 1966.

“So what we have done is we have created a show in which the entire catalogue of those 30 or 40 years is delivered by the originals. That's what is exciting about it. If you could have had the originals singing the entire catalogue right up until the 80s, then that's what we're doing.”

Mark is delighted to have seen The Temptations in Southend last year: “It was great. We were so pumped for it already. We were already so deep down the rabbit hole of The Temptations but what was really great was to see how they worked their audience and how they delivered the songs and how they got the audience going. They didn't just sing the songs. They were like a family on stage. They were ribbing each other and taking the mickey out of each other. It really did feel like the cameraderie that they had backstage was something that they'd brought onto the stage with them and I think that's what we really want to capture in this show.”