The ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ left the world’s stage last year, but her legacy lives on in “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.”
The national tour opens May 7 at the Ohio Theatre.
“What they taught us on Broadway, and what Tina herself said, is that this musical was her last labor of love,” tour co-star Ari Groover said.
“In this version of her story, you see the joy she tries to give, even while going through abuse, pain and struggles,” she said.
Groover, who played Tina on Broadway, recalled Turner’s advice to cast members: “To play yourself authentically and honestly is to play me.”
A feisty singer-songwriter who sold 180 million records and won 11 Grammys, Turner died last May at 83.
“Her passing hit the team hard, because she had a hand in the production and gave her blessing to it,” said music director Dani Lee Hutch, who conducts the 11-member orchestra.
What’s “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical’s” focus?
Turner’s self-awareness helped define the musical, which focuses on her difficult childhood, turbulent relationships and career struggles.
“That comes through her music. She lived in an era when music wasn’t overproduced, so that makes it raw and real,” Hutch said.
Turner endured misogyny, racism, and ageism, all depicted in the musical, suggested for adults because of violence and profanity.
“She found laughter in life because you have to laugh to keep from crying. That’s why so many people resonate with her story,” Groover said.
Zurin Villanueva, who alternates with Groover as Tina, agreed.
“She changed her entire life with her mind… the most amazing thing,” Villanueva said.
How Tina Turner got her name
Born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939 in Nutbush, Tennessee, Turner overcame poverty, a divided family and a childhood picking cotton to become a singer.
“Her perseverance was a lifesaver,” Groover said.
Previously called “Little Ann,” she got her stage name from Ike Turner, who remolded her teenage persona after she joined his band in 1956 in St. Louis.
As Tina’s manager and husband, Ike guided the duo’s rise.
Performing from 1960 to 1976 as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, they propelled 20 songs onto Billboard Hot R&B charts. Among them: “A Fool in Love,” “Proud Mary,” “River Deep Mountain High” and “Shake a Tail Feather,” all in the show.
Turner connected, Hutch said, through her “incredible voice” and authenticity.
“Her voice had grit and an amazing range spanning octaves. She felt the music deeply,” she said.
How Turner survived
Behind the scenes, though, Tina suffered.
“She began to get out of that abusive relationship, first mentally, then trying to run away, then succeeding in fighting back and leaving,” Villanueva said.
Meanwhile, Tina fell in love with the band saxophonist, got pregnant with his son and struggled to balance motherhood and touring.
“Her 16 years with Ike complicated other family relationships and made it hard for her to become a success in her 40s while maintaining her family,” Groover said.
After suffering for years, Tina separated from Ike in 1976. They divorced in 1978. In her autobiography, Tina later revealed Ike’s physical abuse.
“Something a lot of people don’t see in Tina was her grace and forgiveness to herself,” Groover said.
Private sufferer, public entertainer
After dramatizing Tina’s comeback achieving solo stardom in her mid-40s with her “Private Dancer” album, the musical culminates with the singer’s record-breaking 1988 concert before 188,000 people in Rio de Janeiro.
“After surviving a tumultuous personal life, she gave her heart and soul to millions onstage… That’s where she felt most comfortable, connecting with people,” Groover said.
With disco, pop, blues, funk, R&B and rock among the genres Tina embraced, the musical’s range is impressive, Hutch said.
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“It’s exciting to play so many different styles. ‘Tina’ walks you through her story but also the different eras she lived through,” she said.
What other hits are performed?
Among the show, other songs are performed that defined Tina’s career, such as “I Want to Take You Higher,” “(Simply) The Best,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
Their power is reinforced, Hutch said, by their strategic placement in the show.
“The songs help the story build, going from the personal to the public. The way the story is put together makes you really root for Tina,” she said.
Some scenes begin with Tina singing to other characters, but shift to her concert singing.
“It makes us think of her lyrics in a different way,” Hutch said.
How the Broadway musical fared
After becoming a still-running London hit in 2018, “Tina” reached Broadway in 2020 and received 12 Tony nominations, including best musical, choreography, lighting and costumes. It won one Tony for Adrienne Warren as the best musical actress.
In London, reviews were mixed-to-positive, with greatest praise for the performers and songs.
“Pretty much every note of nuance is lost in the razzle-dazzle rush… galloping past the biographical milestones of an extraordinary life only long enough to mark them and move on to what the audience has presumably come for: the music,” critic Leah Greenblatt wrote in “Entertainment Weekly.”
An inspiring life
The alternating co-stars approach their role somewhat differently.
“It’s not about impersonating Tina, but finding the Tina inside yourself,” Villanueva said.
Neither actress met Turner, but they find her inspiring.
“I relate to her love, her loyalty, keeping her word and being there for the long haul… We are the masters of our journey,” Villanueva said.
Groover, in turn, admires Turner’s resilient spirit.
“Tina never gave up… Her story is important for women who fear they’re aging out in male-dominated industries like music,” she said. “That was the saving grace of her life… a reminder to keep pushing.”
@mgrossberg1
