By Jessica Neu
With movie remakes, classic TV reboots, and fashion trends, nostalgic content is becoming popular and profitable across mediums. The Broadway musical industry has also capitalized on the popularity of nostalgia with musicals based on the lives of such icons as Carole King (Beautiful), Michael Jackson (MJ: The Musical), and Princess Diana (Diana), among others. This week, the Benedum Center welcomes another biographical musical, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which tells the story of Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame singer Tina Turner, also known as the “Queen of Rock ‘N Roll.” Tina’s story is one of abuse, tragedy, loss, blame, manipulation, and heartbreak. Through this pain came music that is more powerful than adversity and sung with a voice louder than any demon trying to penetrate through joy.
The role of Tina is understandably portrayed by two different actresses on this national tour. In all my years of attending live theater, I struggle to recall a more physically and vocally demanding role than that of Anna Mae Bullock, who eventually became known worldwide as Tina Turner. For opening night, I had the pleasure of seeing Zurin Villanueva as Tina. Still, I am confident that Ari Groover brings forth just as powerful of a performance, especially given her familiarity with the role as she portrayed Turner on Broadway.
Villanueva’s mannerisms, tone, dance moves, and iconic long legs mirrored that of Turner’s in a way beyond authenticity and bordered doppelganger. Villanueva’s vocal abilities alone would have been enough to garner rave reviews, but her portrayal of Tina, the woman, is just as superior as her portrayal of Tina, the entertainer.
A combination of fortitude, determination, and, at times, desperation mark Tina’s life as her parents abandoned her as a child. After a brief reunion with her mother and sister, Tina was discovered by musician Ike Turner (played at this performance by Antonio Beverly – Understudy for Garrett Turner), who made Tina the lead singer of his band, “the Kings of Rhythm,” when she was only 17 years young. After marrying in 1962, Ike and Tina rose to fame as the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. Each hit song was met with increasingly aggressive physical and verbal abuse from Ike as his drug habit and extramarital affairs became increasingly rampant. The mistreatment and Tina’s pain are raw and vulnerable, but Villanueva never leaves Tina without a hint of resilience and tenacious hope that is almost infectious.
As challenging as some scenes are to watch due to the depiction of domestic violence, misogyny, and chronic drug abuse, we are left with the notion that Tina’s actual life was far more tragic than what was presented on stage. Nevertheless, Beverly’s portrayal of Ike Turner is so poignantly vile that it was almost difficult to clap for him at curtain call because it felt wrong to applaud such evil. Perhaps that is the mark of a true master class in portrayal and character development.
Director Phyllida Lloyd brings Turner’s story to the stage with the help of set and costume designer Mark Thompson and choreographer. Period set pieces fluidly move throughout each scene, but as a permanent backdrop, the digital screen transports audience members through six decades of Tina’s journey. Through the cotton fields of slavery to the psychedelic 60s, the disco fever of the 70s, and the late 80s/early 90s, the show is visually as stunning as the talented cast who bring it to life.
As we travel through time, we are reminded that songs were all written and performed in a much larger context than the listener is privy to. “Proud Mary” is viewed in a whole new dimension as it is embedded in the context of Turner’s personal life in the first act. Numbers such as “Better Be Good to Me” and “I Don’t Wanna Fight No More” begin on a subtle downbeat so effortlessly that they become almost enmeshed in the dialogue, making each song function as part of the conversation and not an entertainment stop-gap.
I would be remiss not to acknowledge supporting cast members who combined to create an all-star ensemble of talent. Ayvah Johnson as Young Anna-Mae is a power-house little lady whose range and stage presence have her destined for a long career in theater to come. Johnson’s ability soars even higher at the end of the show during the dynamic finale that transforms Tina the Musical into a Tina Turner concert. In addition, Grammy Award winner Ann Nesby brings Tina’s grandmother, Gran Georgeanna, to life as the only loving figure in Tina’s early life. Nesby’s vocals on the reimagined Ace of Base classic, “Don’t Turn Around,” opens up a depth to that song that I never considered possible, transforming the Swedish Pop hit into a Gospel-like Hymn. Also reimaging Al Green’s classic, “Let’s Stay Together” (a staple in Turner’s live setlists), the show juxtaposes iconic songs with Turner’s beloved music to take us on her journey as she finds her voice, her freedom, and her trust in people who she feels understands her dreams. The ensemble was cleverly incorporated as haunting reminders that you can never truly leave the past in the past.
While Turner was left looking over her shoulder with presumable PTSD, she ultimately proved triumphant, even when left penniless after her divorce from Ike and left only with her name: Tina Turner. After years of domestic abuse victimization, Tina finally gained autonomy and respect in her personal life and the heavily racist, ageist, and chauvinistic music industry. Tina is an emotional ride that will keep you rolling down a river deep and ends on a mountain high enough to keep you singing for days to come.
‘Tina: The Tina Turner Musical’, is a presentation of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh runs through Sunday, April 92023. For more information and tickets, visit: https://trustarts.org/production/81544/tina-the-tina-turner-musical
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