Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the Eccles

Last night I saw Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the Eccles Theatre and I found it to be especially poignant after the recent passing of Tina Turner.  This is a jukebox musical about the life of Tina Turner (Zurin Villenueva) from her humble beginnings as Anna Mae Bullock (Ayvah Johnson) in Nutbush, Tennessee to her rise to success with Ike Turner (Roderick Lawrence) and then her reinvention as a global superstar after overcoming prejudices against her race, gender, and age.  I knew that Tina was physically abused by Ike but I didn't know everything else that she endured in her life so I found the narrative to be incredibly compelling.  However, the best part of this show is the music and I think its use in a thematic order, rather than a chronological one, is very effective in giving context to her struggles and ultimate triumph.  I especially enjoyed how "Let's Stay Together," "Better Be Good to Me," and "I Don't Wanna Fight No More," show her dysfunctional relationship with Ike, how "Private Dancer" shows her years of performing in Las Vegas to pay her debts after leaving Ike, and how "We Don't Need Another Hero" shows the turning point in her life and career.  Villenueva gives a powerful vocal performance and her renditions of "River Deep - Mountain High" and "(Simply) The Best" just about blew the roof off the Eccles (and gave me goosebumps).  The choreography is energetic, to say the least, and Villenueva and Aliyah Caldwell, Reyna Guerra, Takia Hopson, and Parris Lewis (as the Ikettes) are so much fun to watch in "I Want to Take You Higher" and "Proud Mary" (the highlight of the show for me).  Because of Turner's recent passing, I've seen a lot of footage of her performances, especially during her time with Ike Turner, and I was really impressed with how well the real-life choreography and costumes are replicated.  This production makes use of projections and minimal set pieces but the final set depicting the stage of a concert in Brazil is spectacular with amazing lighting effects (it was almost like an actual rock concert with lots of enthusiastic audience participation).  This show is an incredibly moving tribute to a remarkable woman and I highly recommend it (although it features very disturbing scenes of domestic violence, lots of profanity, and the use of racial epithets which some might find upsetting).  Go here for tickets to one of the four remaining performances.

Note:  Stay through the bows for a continuation of the concert featuring "Nutbush City Limits" and "Proud Mary."