Review: TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL Rolls into Broadway at The Hobbby Center

As of Tuesday’s opening night, Houston has officially gone into what I affectionately call “Tina Turner Overdrive!”  The current production of TINA - THE Tina Turner MUSICAL from BROADWAY AT THE HOBBY CENTER has sold out its entire run of performances and has become the hottest ticket in H-Town.  Local theater patrons seem to be flocking to see the 2018 West End to Broadway Musical that earned actress Adrienne Warren a Tony Award.  This current incarnation of the production is a touring iteration of the show. For Houston, Tina Turner's lead character will be split between Ari Groover and Parris Lewis, alternating performances throughout the run.  Of note in the ensemble and playing Tina’s sister is native Houstonian Gigi Lewis, who is debuting in her first national tour.   The show is a jukebox musical that tells the story of Tina’s career and incorporates some of her biggest hits to do so.  It was created under the executive production of Tina Turner herself and her second husband, Erwin Bach.  Tina Turner passed away last year, so this show is a fitting celebration of the woman who broke every single rule in music and cemented her legacy as an icon.  She was simply the best, and this musical seems to know that.  

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You already know the outstanding music, so TINA - THE Tina Turner MUSICAL has a level of familiarity going in.  Also, the story of Ike and Tina’s tempestuous marriage was chronicled both as a well-known book and a critically lauded movie.  It would be hard to find someone in the Hobby Center who wasn’t aware of the general gist of the narrative and who the characters would be.  Because it is a musical, much of the ferocity and heartache of Tina’s horrific abuse at the hands of her first husband and performance partner has been stylized and made a bit more palatable (if that is possible).  Is that the right thing to do?  I was torn as I watched everything unfold, but I had to keep remembering this show is a celebration rather than an exploration of hard truths about domestic violence. But still, I kept going back to the idea that here I was, watching abusive Ike Turner becoming a caricature in a musical.  But I suppose a little roughness needed to be smoothed out, given the sprawling subject material.  The show plays fast and loose with the true story, compressing events and juggling how things transpired, yet it manages to capture the essence of what happened, even if much of it is delivered in shorthand.  It renders a messy story with a clean, glittery Broadway Musical sheen.  Sometimes, it feels at odds with itself, but audiences will eat it up.  It’s a lively, terrific show that benefits from some of the best hits of Tina’s career.   

On opening night, I saw Parris Lewis play Tina Turner, and she blew me back in my seat.  Parris doesn’t look exactly like the legend, but boy, can she belt out a hit song and act her way through a tough piece of theater to pull off.  She is a powerhouse and exactly what TINA - THE Tina Turner STORY needs at the center of it. She gets the soul of the woman in both song and spirit.  Parris never misses a beat nor a chance to throw in the right emotions to sell the song library of one of rock’s most iconic soul singers.  She’s a marvel, and I would say, by and large, it’s the ladies of this cast that make this show a must-see.  Gigi Lewis is vocally strong and brings a true presence in her portrayal of Tina’s sister and fellow Ikette Alline.  Roz White steals any scene she is in with crack comic timing as Tina’s mother.  Sarah Bockel is sincerely sweet and tender as Tina’s road manager.  And Wydetta Carter delivers strength and grace as the grandmother.  Watching the Ikettes work together to recreate the signature choreography is mesmerizing.  Is it any surprise this show caters to the women and allows them the biggest opportunity to shine? 

The men have their work cut out for them. Deon Releford-Lee has the daunting challenge of playing Ike Turner, the most thankless role of the night.  He creates the charismatic aura of a rock and roll pioneer and sings well enough to balance the stage with Parris Lewis’ Tina.  They are a great match, but the script keeps the Ike character shallow and one-note in the acting sequences.  He just seems to throw tantrums and act sexually out of line.  He’s hard to like because he seems like a jerk the first second we meet him. Max Falls plays second husband Erwin Bach, but even he isn’t given a lot to play other than sweet and ideal at a time when Turner needs it.   Eric Siegle and Rowan Vickers get strong comedic bits as a foppish Phil Specter and a “fangirling” Martyn Ware, and both are funny as all heck in their respective scenes.  Gerard M. Williams gets the best guy number of the night as early crush Raymond Hill, and he delivers a soulful rendition of “Let’s Stay Together” with a striking panache.  

On the technical end of things, TINA - THE Tina Turner MUSICAL relies less on sets than on projections behind the actors.  One elaborate concert stage is constructed in the whole that is gloriously reminiscent of a Tina Turner tour. Still, outside of that, places and environments are set by a screen and some images.  It’s completely cinematic. Jeff Sugg designs these, and often, they intertwine with the music, making it all seem like a vintage MTV short from back in the day.  The show won an award for its wig design, and Campbell Young Associates worked miracles in that area.  Phyllida Lloyd’s direction keeps things moving at a fast pace to compensate for the narrative sprawl that makes the show’s run time nearly three hours.  You don’t feel the time passing because the scenes are taut and typically move to their point with precision like a well-choreographed musical number might do.  

If you are a fan, you probably already have tickets.  I think TINA - THE Tina Turner is aimed at the faithful who can fill in narrative gaps for themselves and those who know the songs well enough to appreciate them done in this musical theater environment.  The performances, costumes, and songs are sublime, and everything clips along at a frenetic pace.  The only issue is the troubling expanse of the narrative, which often glosses over severely serious issues like domestic violence and abuse.  But if you have seen WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT, the 1993 movie with Angela Bassett, or read Tina’s book, you already know that aspect of the story.  This musical is a good bit more uplifting from the jump and will have you cheering and chanting, “TINA! TINA! TINA!” It is probably the closest we are going to get to a concert experience now that the real legend is finally at rest.  This cast reaches deep into their souls, finds the inner Tina that lives in us all, and shows them to the world.  Love has everything to do with it.  

TINA - THE Tina Turner MUSICAL runs at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts through January 7th.  As of this writing, very few tickets were available for any performances.  You can check the inventory through the link below. The show runs nearly three hours with one fifteen-minute intermission.   There are two numbers performed concert style after the traditional curtain call.  

The photo provided features Ari Groover as Tina Turner and was taken by Matthew Murphy. 

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