Review: TINA, THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at The Hippodrome

At one point, during the finale (I know it's strange to begin a review with the show's ending), my companion shouted above the din of the crowd, "this is more than a Broadway show, it's more like a rock concert now!" Well sirs and madams and everyone else, I am deliriously happy to report that this production of Tina, The Tina Turner Musical, is serving both genres as well as anything I have ever seen from either perspective.

With a book by Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, this is by no means a mere rehashing of the movie from the early 90s. This is a whole new telling of the story of Ms. Turner's hard scrabble beginnings in Nuttbush, Tenness (of the eponymous song she wrote) and her tortured path to stardom. The plot gets a little maudlin and much is made of the physical and mental abuse she suffered at the hands of her Svengali-like husband, Ike Turner, but there are some genuinely touching moments that highlight her relationship with her mother, sister, and particularly with her beloved grandmother. And any deficiencies of the script are minor and mitigated completely when compared to the monumental talents on board.

The evening starts with a cross-legged Tina sitting with her back to the audience, in full 80's spiked-hair mini-skirted regalia that quickly evolves in a kind of flashback to a Black church in the South (you can tell by the share-cropper type Sunday best clothes of the congregation), with an about eight- or nine-year-old cherubic Anna Mae Bullock singing her little lungs out, to the consternation of her mother. We see her parents fighting, her mother leaving, and fast forward to a 17-year-old Tina joining her mother and older sister in St. Louis. There she meets Ike Turner who reinvents the teen Anna May Bullock as Tina Turner. Some hits follow, both on the music charts and the person of Tina as Ike exercises his control over the music and his wife, abusive, womanizing, drug-abusing and worse. After 16 years and two kids, Tina breaks away, struggles for another five years and at around 40 years old, leaves for London, where she is once again re-created, but this time in her own image, on her own terms, and with great success, emerging as the iconic, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 12 time Grammy winner, and universal superstar.

The production values of this musical are unparalleled. I don't often mention Sound Design as a highlight, but this time I can't not mention Nevin Stienberg's superb work. Bruno Poet's Light Design and Jeff Sugg's Projection Design are also so well designed that they deserve huge shout outs as well. Set and Costume Designs by Mark Thompson were perfectly suited to the periods covered, as were the Wigs, Hair and Makeup Designs by Campbell Young Associates.

Anthony Van Laast's spirited choreography was a non-stop whirlwind of excellently conceived and executed movement. And the biggest kudos to the superb direction of Phyllida Lloyd beside the toe tapping hair raising orchestra led by Ann Shuttlesworth. Phil Spector's Wall of Sound had nothing on these folks!

All the supporting ensemble, most of whom did double duty in various parts, were at the top of their Broadway musical game. Don't let anyone ever tell you that the level of talent one sees in these touring companies is not equal to the Broadway casts. Trust me, I know, having done several tours myself. Hundreds, if not thousands sometimes show up for cattle call auditions in New York and occasionally other cities on the unlikely chance that they will be cast in a company of 10 or 12 ensemble players. They are all Broadway quality, with no lack of Broadway credits spread among them.

Let me get the handclapping, foot-stomping, roof-raising praise of the vocal abilities of every one of the featured casts out of the way right here. I would be hard-pressed to find enough superlatives to describe them individually, so excuse my use of the group approach just this once, please. Every time one of them opened their mouth, I was impressed all over again.

Of the named supporting players let's start with the smallest vocal powerhouse, Aliyah Caldwell as the young Anna Mae Bullock. From her first scene singing in church to the finale when she shares the stage with the star, she is a small but mighty person with a voice to be reckoned with. As Tina's older sister, Alline, Paris Lewis is underutilized but commands the stage with that voice of hers and a smile that lights up the house. The acting chops of Roz White as Zelma, Tina's mother, are on a par with the best of them, and, along with the touching and caring portrayal of Gran Georgianna by Ann Nesby (both of whom are blessed with the aforementioned terrific voices) these four women are the supporting backbone that helped shape - for better or worse - the woman who grew into Tina Turner, and they add a layer of expertise to the ensemble of the show that is outstanding.

On the male side of the company, well, it's the ladies' show. The guys are a little one-dimensional, which is fine for what the script gives them to do. As Raymond, Tina's semi-secret love interest early in her relationship with Ike, Taylor Blackman is a standout in his duet with Tina singing 'Let's Stay Together.' Side note: that is one fine-lookin' gentleman right there. But I digress. In various other supporting roles, the rest of the non-females are well-suited to their characters. Which brings us to the villainous Ike Turner as portrayed by Garrett Turner.

Turner's turn as Turner (see what I did there?) makes the best of one of the most heinous of leading men characters. Rather reminiscent of Billy Bigelow of Carousel fame, with none of the charm. He is snarky, self-centered, petulant, and an all-around jerk. In Mr. Turner's hands, he comes off most often as bratty rather than brutish, except when he's batting Tina around. Then he's just this side of terrifying. Which leads me to the conclusion that this is one very talented actor.

But the night truly belongs to Zurin Villanueva as Tina. Phrases of praise like 'tour de force' and 'vocal tsunami' get bandied about so often that they can begin to lose their impact. In the case of Ms. Villanueva, they are not enough. From her earliest scenes as a gangly teenager to the final, rock-star renditions of two of Tina's biggest hits, she hits the stage like a frigging force of nature and the bone-defying gyrations, gut-clenching emotional moments and sheer power of the performance sweep everything else into secondary status. I won't attempt to analyze any more than that. I have never seen anything like it, and I've seen plenty. This is not your mama's Broadway leading lady. Zurin Villaneueva kicks ass and takes names and no prisoners from the minute the lights hit her. This is a star making performance. I hope the rest of the theatre world realizes just how special this lady is.

Tina is a huge musical with some minor flaws that do not diminish the sum total of the story. The hits are there, including 'We Don't Need Another Hero', 'I Can't Stand The Rain', 'I Want To Take You Higher', and of course, 'Proud Mary'. The songs and the story are Tina's. The night belongs to Zurin Vilanueva. And those of us lucky enough to see this star streak through our presence.

Tina, The Tina Turner Musical, runs through November 20th, 2022 at The Hippodrome, 12 North Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD. Click here for information and tickets.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

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