Review - Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Image: Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Image credit Daniel Boud, NOT a Creative Futures Photography Image)
A show that features racism, ageism, family violence, drug use, and attempted suicide may not sound like it’s going to deliver an uplifting night out. But when that show is Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, audiences are guaranteed a moving rattle though the lows and highs of the life of Anna-Mae Bullock (aka Tina Turner). And when it’s a jukebox musical that first opened in 2018—and has already wowed crowds in London, New York, and across many other European and American cities—you can almost guarantee it will have been worth waiting for.
I’m delighted to report that Brisbane audiences will not be disappointed; this is one show that absolutely deserves to be a sellout. As my plus-one said on the opening night, this must be the best musical we have seen at QPAC. But you’d better be quick, as this show goes back on the road at the end of August (opening in Melbourne in September 2024).
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is spectacular: great musical performances, beautifully staged, fabulous choreography, an incredible leading lady, and a wonderful songbook to call upon.
Apologies… this review does include spoilers. But many audience members will already be familiar with the challenges faced by this powerhouse artist—particularly if having already read the I, Tina autobiography or seen the 1993 biopic What’s Love Got to Do with It.
Act I touches on Tina’s poor upbringing, family cruelty, and a violent marriage. Some in the audience applauded as Tina fought back, but the eventual walking away from an abusive husband brought its own challenges. Act II shows the difficult start to life ‘post-Ike.’ Owning little more than her name, Tina needed to work to reestablish herself, while also facing ageism and continued racism. The battle to stay financially afloat—when unable to sing her most well-known songs, due to their being under Ike’s control—led to Tina working in the ‘artists’ graveyard’ of Las Vegas. Fortunately, this is a story that ends well, and is a musical that draws on a fabulous back catalogue, with some excellent song choices, cleverly woven throughout the two acts.
And at this point I’d mention that yes, it’s a touring production, but it is one that is well-suited to the QPAC Lyric stage (complete with a great set and effective use of revolve, lighting, and back projections).
The show is well-cast, led by the talented adult Tina Turner (Ruva Ngwenya), who barely leaves the stage for the whole show. Ruva Ngwenya is a quadruple threat: great acting, fabulous dance, powerful vocals, and incredible energy. There is a real attention to detail that moves beyond the excellent costumes (Mark Thompson, Set and Costume Designer), powerhouse vocals, and energetic dance (Anthony Van Laast, Choreographer). Ngwenya’s clever recreation of the developing vocal styles of Tina Turner across the decades adds another layer to the experience—and the behind-the-scenes portrayals of abuse, tenderness, pre-concert nerves, and sheer hard work, offer audiences a Tina Turner that is no mere caricature.
The cast also includes the impressive Jayme-Lee Hanekom (a great portrayal of Tina’s sister, Alline Bullock, and fabulous dance moves as one of the Ikettes), Matthew Prime (as the charming record company Marketing Manager and future husband, Erwin Bach), Ibinabo Jack (in the challenging role of Tina’s mother Zelma Bullock), and Mat Verevis (in the pivotal role of Tina’s Manager, Roger Davies). The portrayal of the young Anna-Mae calls for a strong stage presence and vocals, and I am sure that audiences will be as impressed as we were by the opening night Young Anna-Mae (alternates for the Brisbane run are Aimee Bah, Lucy Bowyer, Sienna Katelyn Desmier, and Samara Wheeler).
The show treads the difficult line of presenting the unlikeable and abusive Ike Turner (Giovani Adams) in the context of his being a black artist working in a highly racist time—and also acknowledges Ike Turner’s ‘finding’ and developing Tina Turner’s talent as a vocalist and dancer. Adams’ portrayal of this unlikeable and abusive man trod that line well, and Matchbox certainly conveyed the weediness of this abusive, drug-addled and controlling character.
Tina Turner was well known as a high-energy artist who had a great backing team of singers and dancers (‘the Ikettes’). The original Ikettes and Tina Turner dancers would have been impressed by the re-creation of many of their famous dance moves on the Brisbane stage. The supporting cast also delivered some of the more light-hearted moments—including comedic portrayals of Phil Spector (John O’Hara) and Heaven 17 artists (Blake Erickson as musician Martyn Ware).
With such an incredible back catalogue, it must have been difficult for the writers, director and producers of this show to cut it back to just 23 musical numbers. If I were to list out all of my favourites, I might just end up giving the full set list. The crowd-pleasing Shake a Tail Feather was one of the many that showcased Tina Turner’s powerhouse vocals while delivering her high-energy dancing style. She Made My Blood Run Cold is a song that I wasn’t familiar with, but my personal first act highlights had to be the spine-chilling River Deep Mountain High, and wonderful Proud Mary vocals.
I loved the way in which a number of the many hits in the Tina Turner back catalogue were (re)interpreted in the show—in particular, What’s Love Got to Do With It?, Private Dancer (great staging and use of the revolve), and I Can’t Stand the Rain (complete with the London backdrop and raincoat-clad, umbrella-carrying ensemble).
Just when you think that the show might be over, it moves up a gear with the fabulous closing mini concert. The band members, under the watchful baton of musical director Christina Polimos, were fantastic—and clearly loved the chance to be onstage as Tina Turner’s iconic musicians. Favourite songs of the night have to be those hits selected for the end of Act II: Nutbush City Limits, Proud Mary, We Don’t Need Another Hero, and Simply The Best.
I think I’m giving this one 99.5%. If I am being incredibly picky, there were a few, very minor, problems with the sound on the opening night. Raymond’s microphone wasn’t always working (hats off to the sound team, and to Rishab Kern for getting through that one), and I couldn’t always hear all the words spoken and sung by Augie Tchantcho (who plays Tina’s father, Richard Bullock). Some of the stage fighting was just a little too staged (but I am glad that it wasn’t any more realistic in presenting scenes of family and domestic violence). And, while being picky, the script is very straightforward, giving the cast few opportunities to demonstrate their dramatic skills.
However, none of that stops me for a wholehearted ‘go and see this uplifting celebration now.’ Be warned; you may just leave with a broad smile, and a few earworms of Tina Turner’s greatest hits. Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is so much more than just Simply the Best. It’s an enjoyable and uplifting celebration of an iconic artist, and the triumph of one woman over a life that included racism, ageism, and domestic violence.
Audience information: Tine: The Tina Turner Musical (29 June to 23 August 2024), Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Southbank, Brisbane. 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a 20-minute interval. Production recommendation age 14+. Scenes of domestic/family violence, sexual abuse, suicide references, firearms, drug use, coarse and racial language, strobe and occasional bright lighting, loud music, theatrical haze, and the simulated smoking of cigarettes. Tickets $69-229, plus $7.20 transaction fee.
Credits: Produced in Australia by TEG Dainty. Originally produced by Stage Entertainment, Joop van den Ende, and Tali Pelman. Written by Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, musical supervision, additional music and arrangements by Nicholas Skilbeck, lighting by Bruno Poet, sound by Nevin Steinberg, projection design by Jeff Sugg, orchestrations by Ethan Popp and wigs, hair and makeup design by Campbell Young Associates.
The reviewer attended the Brisbane opening night performance (7pm, Friday 5 July 2024).
A version of this review first appeared at Nothing Ever Happens In Brisbane.