Tina-The Tina Turner Musical

Postcard review by Caroline Russell-King

Show – Tina – The Tina Turner Musical

Playwright/Composer – Book by Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins with Music and Lyrics by various artists including John Fogerty, Terry Bitten, Al Green, Graham Lyle et al.

Production Company/Theatre space – Executive Producer Jayna Neagle with Crossroads Live in association with Executive Producers Tina Turner and Edwin Bach, through Broadway Across Canada, Jubilee Auditorium.

Length – 2 ACT (3 hours, 05 minutes, one intermission)

Genre/s – Juke box Musical Biography

Premise – Tina Turner overcomes an abusive childhood and violent marriage in the racist south, leaves her husband, and re-invents herself as an 80s musical icon.

Why this play? Why now? –  Tina Turner is a legend with a huge older fan base (and for younger Schitt’s Creek fans, there’s an iconic love anthem).

Curiosities –Again, I was delighted to see all the women with glittery mini dresses (and men with sparkly jackets) emulate their heroine. Would we have missed the additional two songs after the lengthy curtain call? Where was the thunderdomed movie star dressed in chainmail to save us from a dystopian world descending into war, famine, and financial chaos? Now that would have been an ending!

Notable Moment – The assent into the stadium was a thrilling moment.

Notable writing – Hall, Ketlaar, and Prins are tasked with concentrating decades of Tina’s life into 3 hours. Jukebox musicals are difficult. In an effort to laud her, they have too much text between songs; it could have been edited by 20 minutes. The show starts strong, then regresses to a longer back story with lesser known songs, and is bookended with the triumphant concert.

Notable performances – To accurately portray a legend, there is a veil of artifice that one has to penetrate to access the magic. This stage haze is also in the form of bad accents by other performers. Jayna Elise carries the show as adult Tina and really shows the power of the woman when she dons the iconic leather dress and big 80s hair. Taylor Brice as child Tina has an impressive vocal power. Sterling Baker McClary (Ike Turner), her philandering, controlling, drug addled husband/producer elicits our sympathy when faced with racists throwing up barriers to accommodation but otherwise serves as a great villain.  

Notable design/Production – Lighting Designer Bruno Poet gives a rock star performance. Mark Thompson as Scenic and Costume Designer, delivers all the show business sequined tassels dresses for Elise and her unenviable multiple (often onstage) costume and wig changes.

Notable direction – Director Phyllida Lloyd and Choreographer Anthony Van Laast give this Private Dancer a solid public performance.

One reason to see this show – As I’m sure just as other critics have invariably said, Tina is “Simply the Best”.