Tina: The Tina Turner Musical – REVIEW
Image: Ruva Ngwenya is Tina Turner in TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL. Photo: Daniel Boud
She is, indisputably, one of the most dynamic performers who ever shimmied across a stage, with an atomic-powered voice and brassy charisma that is unparalleled. How then can you possibly find anyone to play Tina Turner? Well, miraculously, the producers of Tina:The Tina Turner Musical did find someone and she is utterly sensational.
Ruva Ngwenya plays the very demanding title role in the Australian production of this internationally acclaimed musical. Tina is a jukebox biopic that squeezes the very eventful life of the legendary r’n’b/rock/pop star from the poverty and abuse suffered by Anna Mae Bullock through her reinvention as Tina Turner to the triumphant second-act of her career.
Ngwenya is extraordinary in every aspect in a part that calls for a lot of physical and emotional commitment. Tina Turner did not have it easy – born into poverty, openly rejected by both parents, married to the egoistic, violent and controlling Ike Turner. Tina was beaten up and beaten down but somehow, was never completely beaten.
Much of the violence – verbal and physical – is depicted on stage. It can be very hard to watch. During a scene when Tina gets the upper hand and has Ike receiving the kicks and punches, the audience is unsure how to react; the scene goes on long enough for the crowd to reconsider their initial cheers.
With a lot of the first half of the show focused on the earlier, unhappy parts of Tina’s life, the mood is a little sombre though it’s lightened by performances of big hits and some fun dance routines.
Tim Omaji is phenomenal as Ike. His acting is powerful, as is his voice. Ibinabo Jack is entertaining as the surly, hard to impress, Zelma Bullock, Tina’s mother. Amara Kavaliku played the young Anna Mae on this night and she was absolutely outstanding – as no doubt, all the who share the role will be).
The set is quite sparse, with back wall projections providing scenery and effects, and some props and stage sets. The musical numbers are impressively choreographed and the band, who sometimes appear on stage, are very tight.
Tina Turner had some amazing songs during her Ike period and her solo career, and many of them have been included. However, as with almost all jukebox musicals, they’ve been shoe-horned in and don’t advance or deepen the story-telling as effectively as an original song might. In fact, it’s when the songs are performed as straight songs, rather than being integrated into the dialogue, that they work best.
No spoilers, but the final part of the musical is the highlight and will be the reason that everyone who sees it will leave buzzing and bopping.
