The Temptations, Five Tuxedos and One Missing Sparkly Jacket
Recently, I supplied the entertainment for a spectacular $1-million 50th wedding anniversary celebration at the Royal Ontario Museum. The evening featured entertainment from beginning to end, culminating in a performance by the legendary Motown group The Temptations.
The client was a devoted Temptations fan and had made one special request: the group had to perform in their iconic sparkly jackets.
Simple enough�or so we thought.
I picked up the five singers at the airport, only to discover that the airline had lost one of their costume bags. Naturally, it was the bag containing one of the five sparkly jackets.
The Temptations were understandably concerned. Although four jackets had arrived safely, performing with one member dressed differently was not an option. The Temptations don�t do �close enough� when it comes to wardrobe.
Our limo bus took the group to the soundcheck while I began calling practically every costume shop in the Greater Toronto Area, searching for five identical sparkly jackets. Apparently, matching last-minute Motown costumes are not something most stores keep conveniently waiting by the cash register.
No luck.
After the soundcheck, I took the group to the Eaton Centre to continue the search. We checked store after store, but once again came up empty-handed. By approximately 5:00 p.m., we finally accepted that the sparkly jackets were not going to happen. Our only remaining option was to find five sharp, matching tuxedos�and quickly.
The show�s producer, Trudy Moffat, located a tuxedo shop in Toronto�s Little Jamaica neighbourhood. Unfortunately, it was just about to close for the day. When the owner heard that the tuxedos were for The Temptations, however, he graciously agreed to keep the store open.
The group and I climbed back into the limo bus and raced across town. Thankfully, their performance wasn�t scheduled until 11:00 p.m., although the clock suddenly seemed to be moving much faster than usual.
Choosing the tuxedos, completing five fittings and making the necessary alterations took several hours. At 8:30 p.m., the bill was paid and we were finally ready to return to the hotel.
Throughout the entire ordeal, The Temptations remained remarkably calm and genuinely appreciative that the owner and his staff had stayed late to help them. As the group reached the door, their bandleader stopped and suggested that they give everyone in the store a little taste of The Temptations.
What happened next was unforgettable.
Standing inside that small tuxedo shop, the five singers performed �My Girl� a cappella for the owner and his staff. After all the rushing, searching and last-minute alterations, time seemed to stand still. It was a magical, once-in-a-lifetime thank-you�and a private performance those employees will certainly never forget.
We arrived back at the hotel at approximately 9:00 p.m. And, as if the evening hadn�t already delivered enough drama, the airport called the moment we arrived.
They had found the missing costume bag.
Of course they had.
I instructed the bus driver to take The Temptations to the ROM at 10:00 p.m. while I drove to the airport to retrieve the precious cargo. I made it back to the museum just 15 minutes before showtime, sparkly jacket safely in hand.
That evening, The Temptations walked onto the stage in five perfectly matching, iconic sparkly jackets. The client was thrilled, the performance was sensational, and no one in the audience had any idea how close we had come to presenting The Temptations in emergency tuxedos.
