Smokey Robinson, original Temptations member Otis Williams, and longtime Temptations manager Shelly Berger had a chunk of their lives flash before them on Wednesday night.
The three Motown legends reunited to attend a viewing of Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations, the new Broadway-bound musical about the creation of the classic 1960s vocal group.
PEOPLE has the exclusive look at the trio’s visit to the show, which is now playing at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles through Sept. 30.
Otis, 76, was one of the founding members of the group, which formed in Detroit in 1960. He, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, and David Ruffin found massive success together at the height of The Temptations fame, their lineup dubbed “the Classic 5” in later years. Otis is the sole survivor of that bunch.
Robinson, 78, worked as a songwriter for Motown between 1962 and 1966, and wrote some of the group’s biggest hits — including “The Way You Do The Things You Do”, “My Girl”, “Since I Lost My Baby” and “Get Ready.” He would later go on to find success of his own, of course, as a solo artist.
RELATED: The Last Temptation of Motown: A Conversation with Soul Survivor Otis Williams
Both, as well as Berger, were all smiles as they posed backstage Wednesday night.
They were joined by cast members Derrick Baskin (Otis Williams), James Harkness (Paul Williams), Jawan M. Jackson (Melvin Franklin), Jeremy Pope (Eddie Kendricks), Ephraim Sykes (David Ruffin), and Christian Thompson (Smokey Robinson).
In total, The Temptations, with their signature dance moves and unmistakable harmonies, scored 37 top 40 hits and 14 No. 1 R&B singles.
Many of those songs — and tunes like “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” and obviously “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” — are featured in the new musical, which follows the The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations is slated to open on Broadway in Spring 2019 at the legendary Imperial Theatre. Previous out-of-town runs of the musical have taken place at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California and Washington D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. From Oct. 11 through Nov. 17, the musical will play Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre.
Two-time Tony winner Des McAnuff is directing, with Kennedy Prize-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau crafting the show’s book.
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