Review: TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at The Bushnell

A jukebox musical depicting the true life story of the award-winning Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Tina Turner, who skyrocketed to stardom with Top 100 hits, "What's Love Got To Do With It", "Private Dancer", "The Best" as well as favorites, "Proud Mary" and "River Deep, Mountain High", is raising the roof at The Bushnell now through April 16th.

The Broadway production premiered in 2019 and was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but received critical acclaim and a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, and Drama League Award nominations. Now is your chance to see this incredibly moving, tour-de-force musical featuring an unforgettable cast and marvelous musicians.

We first meet our star, born Anna-Mae Bullock (Zurin Villanueva), in Nutbush, Tennessee. Her voice shines at church, but her rocky home life casts a dark cloud over her childhood. Anna-Mae is abandoned by both her parents, luckily raised by her doting grandmother (Ann Nesby). As a teenager, her talents are discovered by rock musician Ike Turner (Garrett Turner), who invites her to tour with his band, The Kings Of Rhythm. What seems like a golden opportunity is quickly soured when Ike begins to reveal his true, darker nature. He strong arms Anna-Mae into adopting the stage name "Tina Turner", isolates her from her first love and father of her child, Raymond (Gerard M. Williams), and coerces her into marrying for publicity. Thus beginning a tumultuous, severely abusive relationship with far more lows than highs.

Tina begins to gain recognition when Phil Spector (Geoffrey Kidwell) invites her to record a solo album. Fueled by jealousy, Ike pushes Tina beyond her breaking point, as both a performer and mother, and she's forced to finally free herself. However, the relief is short-lived. With her trusted manager, Rhonda (Lael Van Keuren), by her side, and two children in tow, she struggles to make ends meet. Ike bankrupted Tina in the divorce proceedings and claimed copyright over all their work, so she is unable to perform her best known songs. Desperate to turn the tide, Tina forges a new partnership with Roger Davies (Zachary Freier-Harrison), an Australian record producer who believes he can help her find success in London. There, Tina finds love, faces the rampant racism of the time, reinvents herself as a rock artist, and begins the career she is best known for today.

TINA: The Tina Turner Musical is a powerful story that is not to be missed, especially because of Zurin Villanueva's performance. Villanueva is a force to be reckoned with. She commands the stage, demonstrating unbelievable vocal prowess and exquisite storytelling, fully embodying our heroine. TINA is a one-woman show unlike any other and the role is undeniably demanding. The musical rides on Villanueva's virtuosic ability to craft scenes (sometimes without a scene partner and against minimal set), singing at 100% in every song (Tina sings 22 Out of the 24 songs in the entire show, not including the energetic post show concert), while energetically dancing in between. She radiates pure joy and sorrow in equal measure, breaking our hearts and lifting our spirits in an incredibly profound way. Zurin Villanueva is mesmerizing and inspiring: She starts at 100% and goes to 250%, never backing down, delivering an absolutely flawless performance.

If that wasn't enough, we were delighted by Ayvah Johnson, who was astounding as young Anna-Mae. The audience instantly adored her and was astonished by her impeccable vocals.

Garrett Turner, was eerily effective as the unredeemable Ike Turner, delivering a truly powerful performance with his stunning voice, and sending chills down all our spines.

By the end, we were completely immersed in, what felt like, a real Tina Turner concert. The audience was so taken with the experience and we were brought our their feet on multiple occasions, singing and dancing along. When the band joins the cast on stage and turns up the decibels, it is electrifying. If you ever wanted to travel back in time to see a Tina Turner performance, now is your chance. This is not your average musical score: It's real rock 'n' roll with heart. I would see this show again and I don't offer that compliment lightly!

The show follows Tina's real life, depicting the darkness and weaving in light with musical highs. The portrayal of the violence and abuse is heartbreaking and challenging, so note that this show is recommended for ages 14 and up. The running time is 2 hours and 40 minutes. Despite the dark subject matter, the high is well worth the wait. Bring your ear plugs and dancing shoes, and be prepared to marvel at Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.