Tina at DPAC, with Its Luminescent Talent,
Is Well Worth Seeing More Than Once

Tina stars Zurin Villanueva and Garrett Turner as Tina and Ike Turner (photo © Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

Seeing Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is a delightful way to get your 2023 started off with a bang. Playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through Sunday, Jan. 8th, the touring company of this hit 2018 West End and 2019 Broadway musical pays great homage to one of the most iconic female performers in history. You don't have to go in as a huge fan of Tina Turner to enjoy this soulful journey through the life of one of the most brilliant, complicated, and exploited stars in the music industry pantheon.

The pacing was a little uneven to start; the show begins with an iconic tableau of Ms. Turner about to step on stage, then immediately plunges you into the humble beginnings of Tina Turner, born Anna-Mae Bullock on Nov. 26, 1939. The daughter of a pastor and his wife, who are both abusive, Tina gets left behind in her hometown of Nutbush, TN, when her mom Zelma (played by a grounded and daunting Roz White) departs for a better life, taking only her oldest daughter Alline (the charming Parris Lewis) with her.

Garrett Turner and Roz White star as Ike Turner and Tina's mom Zelma in the national tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, playing
through Sunday at the Durham Performing Arts Center (photo © 2022 by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

Years later, a now-teenage Anna-Mae -- played last night by Zurin Villanueva, who alternates in the role with Naomi Rodgers -- bids a moving farewell to her Gran Georgeanna (the effusive and sage Ann Nesby), who raised her, and heads off to the big city of St. Louis to reunite with her mom and sister.

It's not long before Anna-Mae's powerhouse vocals catch the attention of one Ike Turner (played with gusto and sultry vocals by Garrett Turner), who quickly creates a new band and a musical sensation. Ike appropriates not only Anna-Mae's identity by re-branding her as Tina Turner -- a ploy to appear married that eventually results in actual matrimony, despite Tina's reluctance.

Zurin Villanueva (left) and Ann Nesby star as Tina Turner and Gran Georgeanna in the Durham Performing Arts Center's Jan. 3-8
presentation of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (photo © 2022 by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

Ike withholds royalties and fees, retains tumultuous and ironclad creative control, and heartlessly manipulates Tina and his band in every way possible, fueled by his own insecurities and rampant drug and alcohol abuse. Although the show freight-trains through Ike and Tina's years together, it doesn't hold back on or romanticize the horrors of the abuse suffered by Tina, her children, and the members of the band. Getting free of his grip gives Act One its momentum.

But getting out from under Ike's thumb is only part of the battle. Act Two takes a deeper and more well-paced dive into the immense adversities faced by a middle-aged Black female recording artist in the late 1970's and early 1980's. This is where director Phyllida Lloyd's vision really brings the story together, as the song placement and character development gels into a heartwarming comeback tale that brings the audience full circle to the opening scene in a finale that pays off to the hilt.

Zurin Villanueva and Max Falls star as Tina Turner and Erwin Bach (photo © 2022 by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

The titular role is shared by two incredible performers; Zurin Villanueva took the stage in Tuesday's opening-night performance and lit up the house with a vibrant stage presence and powerful vocals, beautifully attenuated to capture Tina Turner's definitive vocal style. Not all of the musical numbers gelled in the first act, but Villanueva's performance of the "River Deep - Mountain High" and "I Don't Wanna Fight" sequences was riveting and moving.

Max Falls' Erwin Bach had tangible chemistry with Villanueva, and Zachary Freier-Harrison delivered some insightful nuance into his Roger Davies. Another must-mention is the effervescent Ayvah J. Johnson; cast as the young Anna-Mae, she casually flaunted vocals to rival any of the adults on stage and nearly stole every scene in which she appeared (including a post-curtain call encore that had the audience roaring).

Tina stars Ayvah Johnson (right) as Young Anna-Mae Bullock (photo © 2022 by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

Choreography by Anthony Van Laast was set to bullet-train speed, ratcheting up the wow-factor for the musical numbers; and the exceptionally talented cast delivered with seemingly unending energy. Although Bruno Poet's lighting design was a bit muddy overall, giving many scenes a dark quality that didn't always translate well, the finale scenes went all-out in recreating the concert flash of Tina's greatest live shows and left this reviewer wondering what they'd been waiting for this whole time.

Final Thoughts: Even though the pacing is a bit uneven at times, the storyline is gripping, the talent luminescent, and the eventual payoff is satisfying and uplifting. This show is well worth seeing more than once.

Naomi Rodgers alternates as Tina in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at DPAC (photo © 2022 by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)

Katori Hall and Frank Ketelaar & Kees Prins' TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4-8), directed by Phyllida Lloyd, choreographed by Anthony Van Laast, presented as part of Truist Broadway at DPAC, and starring Naomi Rodgers and Zurin Villanueva as Tina Turner and Garrett Turner as Ike Turner (Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham). DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://issuu.com/dpac0/docs/tina_final_digital_pdf. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7xQt9MMuN8. SHOW VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/@TinaBroadway. 2022-23 TRUIST BROADWAY AT DPAC SEASON: https://www.dpacnc.com/truist-broadway/season/truist-broadway-at-dpac-2022-2023. THE PRESENTER/VENUE: https://www.dpacnc.com/, https://www.facebook.com/DPACNC, https://www.instagram.com/DPACNC/, https://twitter.com/DPAC, and https://www.youtube.com/user/DPACLive. DIRECTIONS: https://www.dpacnc.com/plan-your-visit/directions. PARKING: https://www.dpacnc.com/plan-your-visit/parking. DPAC COVID-19 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: https://www.dpacnc.com/events/latest-updates-on-events-at-dpac/reopening-faq. THE TOUR: https://tinaonbroadway.com/, https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/tina-534377, https://www.facebook.com/TinaBroadway/, https://www.instagram.com/tinabroadway/, https://twitter.com/tinabroadway, and https://www.youtube.com/@TinaBroadway. TOUR CAST: https://tinaonbroadway.com/cast-creative/. TOUR CREATIVE TEAM: https://tinaonbroadway.com/cast-creative/#creative-team. THE SHOW (2018 West End and 2019 Broadway Musical): https://tinathemusical.com/, https://tinaonbroadway.com/, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/tina-522229, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_(musical). TINA TURNER (nee Anna Mae Bullock, born Nov. 26, 1939): https://www.tinaturnerofficial.com/, https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/ike-and-tina-turner, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/tina-turner-522235, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0877913/, https://www.facebook.com/TinaTurner, https://www.instagram.com/tinaturner/, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tina-Turner, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Turner, and https://www.youtube.com/user/TinaTurnerOfficial. AGE REQUIREMENT: Children under age 6 will NOT be allowed at this show. TICKETS: $35 and up, plus taxes and fees. Call 800-982-2787 or click here to buy tickets. GROUPS (10+ tickets): 919-680-2787, Groups@DPACnc.com, and https://www.dpacnc.com/events/groups-services. INFORMATION: 919-680-2787 or CustomerService@DPACnc.com. Susie Potter's Triangle Arts Review Review.

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