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Joel Katz

“Ain’t Too Proud” Actor Sails Cruise Ship to Broadway

Author Joel Katz
Ain't Too Proud actor Bryce Valle plays Temptations' Paul Williams

Magic 98.3 is the official sponsor of the State Theatre New Jersey Broadway series. Whenever one of the Broadway Series shows including “Ain’t Too Proud” comes to State Theatre NJ I have a conversation with one of the amazing performers in the show.

Some of the Broadway performances coming to STNJ include Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, The Addams Family – A Musical Comedy, Dear Evan Hansen, and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas The Musical.

The other Broadway Series show coming late this month is Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations.

Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations is the amazing, smash-hit Broadway musical that follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and silky-smooth harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts creating an amazing 42 songs making it to the top ten and 14 of them landing at number one.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Bryce Valle who plays the role of Paul Williams in the show. Bryce comes from a five-year career as a singer for Carnival Cruise Line and is making his national tour debut with the cast of Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations. Bryce talks about the music that shaped him as a performer and more in our conversation.


Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations has been nominated for 12 Tony Awards and is the winner of the 2019 Tony Award for Best Choreography. It tells the story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal, as the group’s personal and political conflicts threatened to tear them apart during a decade of civil unrest in America.

It was written by three-time Obie Award winner Dominique Morisseau, directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys), and features the Tony-winning choreography of Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, On Your Feet. It’s been called an unforgettable story of the legendary quintet and is set to the beat of the group’s big hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” and more.

Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations Showtimes: Friday, October 25th at 8 pm
Saturday, October 26th at 2 pm and 8 pm
Sunday, October 27th  at 2 pm

For tickets and more information go to STNJ.org

State Theatre New Jersey is a nonprofit and one of the oldest theaters in New Jersey. Originally starting with vaudeville acts in 1921 the theater now features a variety of programming including musicals, concerts, and comedy acts. The theatre houses over 1800 seats.

Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.

Madonna: Ranking the 5 Singles from Her Self-Titled Debut

Madonna released her self-titled debut album on July 27, 1983. From that day forth, the pop world was never the same, and that’s not hyperbole.

Madonna introduced a new energy, style and sound into the culture with her debut. It was both liberating and unapologetically feminine, with an undercurrent of toughness. Just looking at the cover of the album makes you realize this woman was a unique force all her own.

It’s remarkable looking back at how good this album is knowing what was to come from Madonna. Just think of the different genre elements she would explore and the many reinventions over the decades she would deliver. Thinking about it all is dizzying.

Madonna has sold 10 million copies worldwide, with five million selling in the United States. It’s considered one of the best debut albums of all time, and it’s easy to see why. Madonna only had eight tracks, but five of those tracks were released as singles. Trying to rank those singles is incredibly difficult, because they’re all truly iconic songs. Alas, we’re going to put on our jelly bracelets, sunglasses and lace gloves and give it a go. Here are the five singles from Madonna ranked.

  • 5. "Holiday"

    Once again, ranking these singles is incredibly difficult, but something had to be fifth. By no means are we saying “Holiday” is less-than; we just think the other four singles are better. Of course, “Holiday” is where people really started to pay attention. It was Madonna’s first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at no. 16.

  • 4. "Lucky Star"

    The reign of Madonna and her hold on pop culture really took off with “Lucky Star.” The song is undeniable, of course,  but when paired with the music video showing off Madonna’s then-signature look, it’s a sensation. Economists should really research the sales of items tied to “the Madonna look” from 1983, because that would be fascinating.

  • 3. "Everybody"

    The world’s first glimpse of Madge herself, “Everybody” is an anthemic call to the dancefloor that you can feel circulating in your body. It’s the song that helped Madonna get signed to Sire Records, which provided the launching pad for her to be the icon we know today. The sheer history felt in this song is almost overwhelming.

  • 2. "Burning Up"

    Forty years later, and this bop is still on fire! It’s got everything: An infectious beat, delicious lust and a shamelessness that remains aspirational. What a damn queen!

  • 1. "Borderline"

    This mid-tempo ballad still rules, even though it’s about a relationship falling apart. It’s basically the musical equivalent of Nicole Kidman saying, “Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.” There’s that intangible painful feeling that manages to also be so incredibly comforting, and it’s been helping countless people get through breakups for four decades. It’s those reasons why we think “Borderline” is the best single from Madonna.

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