Tina Turner has lived an amazing life. What started as the supporting act for rock n roll pioneer Ike Turner slowly evolved into a story of endurance. Even as she faced several setbacks, including marital struggles and a damaged public reputation, she persevered with some of the finest music the industry had ever seen. Add all this up and it makes sense to make a stage musical about her life while bringing forth some of her biggest standards. Tina may be a successful musical if one goes solely for the performance side of things, it does feel like they don’t do the artist justice, sometimes even cutting her short and never giving credence to some otherwise interesting themes. It’s a romping good night that saves its best moments for last, but even then it comes at the cost of well-rounded theater. Fans will be mesmerized by the execution, but little else is likely to make new converts along the way.
There’s something magical about the opening minutes of Tina. As the curtain rises, the audience gets a look at an aged singer, meditating as she looks into an unknown body of light. What is she hiding from the rest of us? Is it a glimpse into her past or the bright future she’s about to witness. In some respects, it’s both. However, the show’s ability to quickly transition into a vibrant prayer circle is some of the most brilliant choreography the show has going for it. With the simple presence of dancing actors, Tina’s diverse experience is given an excellent depiction. The stagecraft relies on a mix of practical sets and music video-ready projections that grow into psychedelia as she befriends Ike and finds her life spiraling. If judged on how the music carries the piece, it’s propulsive and exciting. When the first scene transitions to a young girl dancing in church, there’s an awareness of time that the best of theater captures.
The main issue lies in how the story progresses from here. With all respect to the actors, the story is a mess. The central focus begins with Tina’s parents arguing, leading to her father storming out of their home. As she grows older, she finds herself entangled with other complicated adults who disappoint their children. While her mother may be more noble, she comes to have a rocky relationship with Tina that develops into the emotional crux of the closing scenes. It’s a perfect scene to base everything around, even allowing for some complicated exploration of the villainous Ike Turner. However, this is contrasted with the concept of Tina being noble despite leaving for Europe to revive her career. She has a son who doesn’t speak to her. She may go on to record “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and revive her career. It’s the uplifting finale that everyone wants. However, there’s one problem… Tina’s story of persevering in the face of bad support systems feels undercut by the fact that she’s celebrated at the end despite no resolution between her and her own children. Is the show accidentally sympathizing with absentee parents or is this one of the most unfortunate Act II’s in recent history?
For what it’s worth, Tina as a character is a charismatic watch. With two actresses playing her throughout 60 years of life, there’s an energy that is undeniable. The first thing that’s noticeable is her voice, which carries to the back of the room and electrifies the audience. They’re able to capture the painful emotion and turn Turner’s songs into excellent narration. She’s easy to root for, especially as the bright-eyed beginning dips into the tragedy of knowing Ike. Credit must be given to him for selling the vitriol and menace of an abusive husband who is wanting to control his wife. There’s the opinion that he made Tina Turner, quite literally, by renaming her.
With that said, everyone knows what comes first. Based on how the band is designed on the stage, the sound carries like a live rock performance. The drums immediately pulsate through the body and the guitars sound more alive. Even then, the real stars are the actors who look like they never break a sweat. It’s dizzying to watch them move quickly through numbers and land such memorable harmonies. The fashion is dazzling. The lighting recreates the effect of seeing the real thing perform in decades past. Rarely does it make sense to make Tina a musical than during these moments where it’s one microphone turn away from getting the audience to sing along. The dramatic performances are less exciting, but serve their purpose within the text.
A major issue is that while it understands what made Turner an amazing singer and performer, the show doesn’t know what to do with her private life. The biggest conflict comes in the tonal shifts between the acts. Whereas the first is about the horrors of dating Ike, the second turns into a farcical career resurgence. While there’s room for humor in the piece, the way it’s handled is uneven and doesn’t feel like continual growth. For a story designed to be as inspiring as possible, it feels dishonest to not feel like Turner’s life had more dramatic weight as she got older. It’s buried underneath studio executives doing comical idol worship gags that may be a reprieve from the sadder beginning, but don’t add much to mirror it.
The finale is the best part of the show. This isn’t to say that the story has the best conclusion. It’s more that the show has dwindled into pure performance. While this has always been the essential piece of the puzzle (including some artful choreography in Act II), it can’t compare to what the show should’ve been the whole time. What it failed for with the story it more than makes up for with a concert experience. It allows the audience to stand up and rock out, letting the lights bask over the room and just feel alive. This is what Turner wanted and the cast does an amazing job of doing that side of her justice. There is plenty of reason to clap when the curtain call arrives. Everyone was such a thrill to watch when they sang, not so much when forced to find pathos in a lazy script.
Tina the Tina Turner Musical is not a bad show. At its core, it delivers the elements of what made the singer such a timeless figure. However, those expecting to find some greater reason to relate to her will find difficulty. The songs are as good as ever and the singing is crisp. However, for a story as public as this one, it doesn’t make sense why it wasn’t given more nuance. The focus feels uneven and doesn’t fully understand what it wants to say about Turner. Is she a survivor or is she just another perpetrator of bad parenting? The former is expected but the latter feels implied, which is extremely unfortunate. It’s a good show for those wanting to listen to some catchy tunes and see it live, but even then why not see a cover band instead? It probably would’ve delivered the highs more frequently and done a better job of reminding you why Turner is a timeless icon.
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