Review: TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at National Theatre

Twenty -six musical numbers (including two welcome encores) shine like mega-watt voltage in the dynamic musical story of family woes, domestic abuse and racism that are all overcome in tribute to the resiliency of the human spirit of survival in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical now playing at The National Theatre in Washington, DC and continuing touring in a long North American tour. The beloved and iconic “Queen of Rock and Roll”, Tina Turner’s highly justified showmanship and musical artistry is combined with a heart-wrenching and achingly real story of triumph amidst seeming impossible odds.

Another in a lengthy line of so-called “jukebox musicals” this musical is so much more. Director Phyllida Lloyd manages to combine the inclusion of the vast repertoire of the various eclectic songs from Tina Turner with an absorbing and textured book by the brilliant playwright Katori Hall (The Mountaintop and The Hot Wing King) ----Ms. Hall was assisted in the book with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins.

The well-known real-life story of Ms. Turner breaking away from the domestic abuse of her husband and musical partner Ike Turner to achieve the heights of individual stardom is given a very complete delineation in the first act of this musical. The second half of the musical portrays the transitions of the newly empowered Tina Turner testing her mettle as she breaks into a new recording contract, travels to London, and comes to a full reckoning with her extended family and herself.

This musical is highly ambitious and –aside from detailing the travails of Turner’s marriage and early life----it also encompasses elements of her mother’s abuse, Turner’s Buddhist beliefs, her Cherokee and Navajo background from her mother, her gospel roots as a child in Tennessee, her moving to St. Louis to rejoin her sister and mother after living with her grandmother, a love affair with an orchestra member and so forth ----this is a lot to encompass in a musical, so there is a danger of veering too far in a dramatic expository style while sometimes incorporating the song interludes too forcefully. Overall, this production moves along logically but sometimes the show becomes a bit strained in deciding on its proper tone.

Different genres of music are explored with verve and each number crackles with energy and professionalism thanks to a high-energy touring ensemble that works together like a finely tuned engine. Choreography by Anthony Van Laast has the ensemble dancing with sharply delineated and expertly timed gyrations and movement. Tina Turner was an incredibly unique talent and had a style like no one else and this production emphasizes the hard and propulsive energy and charisma that she exudes.

Lead actress and vocalist Jayna Elise is magnetic and mercurial as Tina Turner. Ms. Elise evokes pathos and defiance in such emotional numbers as “You’d Better Be Good to Me”, “I Can’t Stand the Rain”, and the gut-wrenching act one closer “I Don’t Wanna Fight No More.”  Ms. Elise is sensual and enticing in Turner’s huge slower paced hit song “Private Dancer” and the classic signature song of defiance, agency, and empowerment “What’s Love Got to Do with It?.”

Ms. Elise’s voice builds from a quiet soft cadence to a resonant crescendo that shakes the rafters of the theater. Ms. Elise’s acting skills are on full display in her scenes of grit, humor, defiance, pain, and sass, which are all blended into one cohesive knockout of a performance.

As Ike Turner, Sterling Baker McClary delivered an audacious performance that is cutting-edge in technique but succeeds on all fronts. Mr. McClary pushed the envelope by portraying a man with a tough exterior with all raw and real foibles exposed. Mr. McClary’s body language exudes the raw energy and volatile coarseness of his character perfectly.

As Tina’s Grandmother---Gran Georgeanna---Deidre Lang exudes matriarchal warmth.

As Zelma Bullock, Tina’s mother, Elaina Walton evokes a portrait of a tough-minded woman whose contrariness was her survival defense mechanism.

As Tina’s sister Alline, Mya Bryant is charming and natural.

As the young Tina, Natalia Nappo is a winning young performer.

Joe Hornberger as Roger Davies, a manager/PR type from London, delivers a meticulous performance full of interesting intricate details.

Kristen Daniels as Rhonda, Tina’s early manager—delivers a performance full of expert comic timing.

Music director and conductor Shane French conducts a rocking six-piece orchestra (including himself on Keys). Orchestrations by Ethan Popp are outstanding; much more complexity and depth of sound was captured by my ear than I heard in the original recordings.

The romantic pop ballad of “Let’s Stay Together” (originally released by Al Green) is a highlight of the production with the velvety smooth vocals of Maurice Alpharicio (as Raymond Earl Carter) joining Ms. Elise in a beautiful duet.

Another standout in the musical is the soul/rock/funky feel-good sound of the famous “I Want To Take You Higher”(recorder earlier by Sly and the Family Stone—the Turner version was even a bigger hit) --the accelerated grooves of this song exploded with the psychedelic angst of Turner’s character sung and played to the hilt by Ms. Elise. (Projection design by Jeff Sugg conveyed the sheer hallucinatory ambience of this galvanizing musical performance).

The disco period is evoked with a sensational rendering of the Trammps famous recording of 1976 “Disco Inferno.” As the ensemble of dancers danced with precision, Ms. Elise’s Tina Turner ignited the stage like an explosion of high-wired adrenaline personified. This rhythmic song was also a huge hit in the autobiographical film What’s Love Got to Do with It? (The Bee Gees also had a huge hit with this song in the hit film Saturday Night Fever).

The ever-beloved “Proud Mary” tore the house apart with a thunderous, propulsive high-octane beat as it built to a crescendo.

Scenic and costume design by Mark Thompson is extraordinary. The stage changed from a family home to nightclubs and recording studios and concert stages with ease. The costumes for the nightclub, concert and music venue scenes were appropriately eye-catching and shimmering with vivid color. The clothes for regular workaday apparel were appropriately toned-down for a more basic look.

Lighting designer Bruno Poet is superb especially in his utilization of evocative white shafts of light highlighting the performers.

Audience etiquette was a bit on the inconsiderate side as many patrons arrived forty minutes or half an hour into the show and ushers escorted them to the middle of rows while production numbers were still peaking ---rather than waiting until the musical performance had ended at an interval. There was also much shouting back at the stage performers, which was very distracting.

A neon-lit staircase showcasing the agility and command of Ms. Elise as she sang the exuberant “The Best”, making the audience clamor for more —in a Larry King Show interview from years back, Ms. Turner said this was her favorite song. Proving that the audience could not get enough of this innovative musical, two encores were delivered to much applause. The rollicking beat of “Nutbush City Limits” (which Tina Turner wrote herself) brought the crowd to its feet as did a reprise of the hard swooping beat of “Proud Mary.”

If you like the music of Tina Turner and you want to see an enthusiastic cast with a knockout lead performance, do not miss the dynamic North American Tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical!!

Running Time: Two Hours and 45 minutes with one fifteen-minute intermission

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical ran from January 24 through January 26, 2025, at The National Theatre located at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004.

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