“EPIC!”
“The shows ends on a joyful high that I can still feel this morning!“
Daniel Alejandro
5 /5 Stars
Dear Reader, it is with absolute delight that I report to you that I only have one word to describe “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” opening in Sydney last night, it was EPIC!
If you could see my face right now, you would see how it is gleaming with pride! Your correspondent happened to have seen the original production of Tina in London in 2018 and our production was, not just a little better, it was multiple times better than the original. Our performers were magnificent world class acts and the lead actress who plays Tina, Ruva Ngwenya, was simply awe inspiring.
The musical follows Tina Turner’s journey from her humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to her rise to stardom alongside her tumultuous personal life and the discovery of a new faith in Nicheren Daishonin’s Buddhism. It explores her early career, her traumatising childhood, her abusive relationship with her former husband Ike Turner, and her subsequent transformation into a solo artist and international icon.
The musical has received positive reviews from both audiences and critics around the world. The show’s high-energy production, impressive set design, and memorable hit song musical numbers were a highlight last night. I truly did not know how many hit songs Tina Turner had, every song was a hit!
Let me tell you about the emotional journey I experienced last night. I fell in love with youngTina and my heart broke with the circumstances she endured as a child, I saw how life-affirming the relationship with her grandmother was (played beautifully by Deni Gordon) and saw painfully clear how we sometimes repeat our childhood traumas in our choice of partner when Tina marries Ike Turner. I hated Ike Turner with a passion (a difficult role masterfully played by Tim Omaji), the physical abuse was difficult to watch and saw how key friendships can change one’s life. A friend of Tina’s told her “Tina, take the beads & repeat whenever you can NAM MIOJO RENGUE KYO and you will get the courage to come out of this situation”, this powerful mantra, not only starts the show, but is present in all key moments of Tina’s life. I saw how faith gave her strength to roar like a Lioness to protect her children and put an end to the domestic violence she endured for more than a decade. After that, comes “What’s love got to do with it?” and the rest is history. Another emotional moment for me was her complex relationship with her mother, a woman invested in destroying Tina’s life, who abandoned her at every turn and that could not tolerate her success due to her own personal trauma. I was disgusted with her behaviour and impressed at the depth with which actress Ibinabo Jack brings that character to live. The shows ends on a joyful high that I can still feel this morning!
I give it a 5/5, it is an absolute must see for music and theatre lovers in Sydney this season. The show is brought to us by Teg Dainty & Stage Entertainment and playing at the Theatre Royal Sydney fora few months.
Daniel Alejandro, Theatre Now
