The Queen of Rock & Roll

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

When the most satisfying moments of a musical arrive following  the curtain call, something is amiss. After the more than two dozen talented cast members take their well-deserved bows, the show explodes into a concert presentation of the best of the best. Commonly found in jukebox musicals, we get a mega-mix of three of Tina Turner’s greatest hits, allowing the entire cast to delight the audience by singing and shaking their groove thing. The audience is invited to sing along, and they do so with gusto. This kind of joyous choral camaraderie erases the sad memories of Tina’s tragic life that we’ve just experinced and sends the audience home feeling like they’ve had a good time. But before this, theatergoers have to endure a whole lot of troubling, cringeworthy melodrama.

First, let me say that the reasons for seeing this National Tour are many, especially if you’re already a fan of this legendary singer. Audiences get to hear dozens of Tina Turner’s hits. The cast is multitalented and this biographical musical is filled with pulsating production numbers. Theatergoers familiar with Tina Turner know that she’s truly a survivor. Her tragic life has been detailed in the singer’s autobiography, I, Tina, which was adapted into the 1993 film, “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” and in a more recent book, My Love Story. But audiences come to a jukebox musical expecting a bit of biographical material but basically yearning to hear a retrospective songbook of hits. Well, there’s no complaints about the bounty of songs and high-energy choreography presented during this two hour and forty-five minute show. Audiences get their money’s worth in that respect, with over two dozen songs, mostly sung by the show’s leading lady. But the problem lies in a choppy book, credited to Frank Ketelaar, Kees Prins and Katori Hall that depicts so much unpleasantness it’s hard to take.

Born into a family of poor Tennessee sharecroppers, young Anna Mae Bullock was unloved by her mother, Zelma, and her pastor father, Richard. Eventually fleeing from her physically abusive husband, Anna Mae’s mother took Alline, her eldest daughter, and moved to St. Louis. The little girl with the big voice was then raised by her loving Gran Georgeanna. Gran eventually decides that her now teenage granddaughter should reunite with her mother and sister in St. Louis. 

One night, at a local Missouri juke joint, Anna Mae is chosen to sing with their star performer, Ike Turner. He takes a strong liking to the talented performer and asks Zelma if he has her permission to take Anna Mae on the road with him, as a backup singer. Ike changes Anna Mae’s name and then marries her, making the powerful songstress into the alliterative Tina Turner. For the rest of Act I, we witness years of hard-to-witness verbal and violent physical abuse. It’s inflicted from Turner, a man so insecure about his talent and manhood that this is the only way he can assert his power and feel in control. The first act ends with a downtrodden Tina singing, “I Don’t Wanna Fight No More.”

Act II focuses on how Tina Turner, now a cash-strapped, divorced mother of two sons, tries to re-invent herself and begin a new career as a solo artist. She runs up against plenty of difficulties, including racial prejudice, intolerant ageism and unbearable misogyny. Eventually the gifted performer with the gorgeous gams, finds her niche. She teams up professionally with Australian talent manager Roger Davies (an effervescent Zachary Freier-Harrison) and romantically with German-born Erwin Bach (a sweet, handsome Max Falls). Bach and Ms Turner married and are the executive producers of this musical.

Although the musical feels flat and disjointed, it’s mostly due to the script. It tries to link a tragic story together with songs that really have little to do with the drama unfolding. The directing and choreographic team of Phyllida Lloyd and Anthony Van Last, who collaborated for an earlier jukebox hit musical, “Mamma Mia!” do what they can to make this show work. But outside of the enjoyment experienced in hearing such great songs as “Nutbush City Limits,” “Better Be Good to Me,” “Private Dancer,” “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “The Best,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero” and, of course, “Proud Mary,” sung by a powerful cast, this show won’t be remembered for its storytelling.

The cast is led by a force of nature named Zurin Villanueva. An incredible actor/singer/dancer, she portrays Tina Turner with dynamic skill and talent. Her powerful vocals, endless energy and stamina as a dancer and unbounded audience magnetism support this actor’s long resume of Broadway productions. This is her show, end of discussion. It must be said that this very demanding role is shared at certain performances by Ari Groover.

Garrett Turner is strong, if a bit melodramatic, as Ike Turner. He earns every hiss and boo he receives at the curtain call for his unlikable characterization, but his acting prowess is soundly applauded. Ann Nesby provides some welcome, unconditional love as Gran Georgeanna; Roz White makes an authoritarian and feisty, if uncaring, Zelma; and Lillian Charles and Briana Cameron share the role of young Anna Mae, young actors with some powerful pipes. The entire ensemble is great, particularly Aliyah Caldwell, Reyna Guerra, Takia Hopson and Parris Lewis as the the Ikettes. They really work the audience as Tina Turner’ backup group, especially during “Proud Mary.”

Because the story is so depressing, theatergoers might almost wish the show dispensed with the cringeworthy backstory of Tina Turner’s rise to fame. But then, this would only be a concert of the Queen of Rock & Roll’s greatest hits. Actually, now that I think of it…would that be so bad?            

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented March 14-April 2 by Broadway in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph, Chicago. 

Tickets are available at all Broadway in Chicago box offices, at all Ticketmaster locations, by calling the Chicago Ticket Line at 800-775-2000 or by going to www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.