Celebrating Tina Turner: The National Tour of Broadway's "Tina – The Tina Turner Musical" Arrives in California
Key Highlights :
The death of rock music icon Tina Turner last month has left a void in the music industry, but her legacy continues to live on through the national tour of Broadway's "Tina – The Tina Turner Musical". This week, the musical makes its California debut, arriving as a poignant, posthumous celebration.
"Tina" opens in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre on Wednesday, steps away from her Hollywood Walk of Fame star and where she recorded for Capitol Records. It plays there until July 9, followed by two weeks at Segerstrom Center the Arts in Costa Mesa and stops in San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose later this summer. The musical traces the highs and lows of the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, including her hellish marriage scarred by domestic violence and the rise as a beloved solo artist with songs like “Private Dancer,” “River Deep, Mountain High,” “The Best” and “Proud Mary.”
The musical captures the essence of Turner's life, from her tumultuous marriage to her rise to fame as a solo artist. Katori Hall, co-writer of the musical, said, “We have always wanted to put audiences in the room with her and it’s obviously going to have even more of a special meaning now that she is gone from us physically. But her energy, her spirit, obviously has been interwoven into our creative processes. And I pray that we’ll always be able to give every audience member a little piece of Tina when they come to the show.”
Turner's death last month in Küsnacht near Zurich was a shock to many, but her spirit lives on through the musical. Hall recalls the time when Turner attended "Tina" on Broadway. “When she walked through the door, to see people get on their feet and give her a standing ovation, I was so grateful that she was able to feel that energy and feel that love on the American side of the pond before she passed,” says Hall. “I think it was just a beautiful gift that we were able to give her in that moment and to be in the room breathing with her and witnessing that love just showering down from the balcony.”
The tour has been touring regularly since fall 2022 and will continue its multi-year national journey, visiting 37 more cities across North America next season. There are also productions running on London’s West End, as well as in Sydney, Australia, and Stuttgart, Germany.
Two actors share the role of Turner on the road — Naomi Rodgers and Zurin Villanueva, each playing four of the eight performances a week. Also co-starring are Roderick Lawrence, Roz White, Carla R. Stewart and Lael Van Keuren. Tour organizers realized by seeing Warren as Turner on Broadway that not just one actor could play the demanding role on the road.
The national tour of Broadway's "Tina – The Tina Turner Musical" is an emotional celebration of the late rock music icon's life. It is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Tina Turner, one that will surely live on for years to come.
