NEW YORK — The nationwide tour of Broadway’s “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical” makes its California debut this week, arriving as a poignant, posthumous celebration following the rock music icon’s loss of life final month.
“Tina” opens in Los Angeles on the Hollywood Pantages Theatre on Wednesday, steps away from her Hollywood Walk of Fame star and the place she recorded for Capitol Records. It performs there till July 9, adopted by two weeks at Segerstrom Center the Arts in Costa Mesa and stops in San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose later this summer time.
“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,” says Katori Hall, co-writer of the musical.
“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, who survived a horrifying marriage to triumph in center age with such hits as “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “Better Be Good To Me,” died final month in Küsnacht close to Zurich. She was 83.
After California, the tour continues its multi-year nationwide journey, visiting 37 extra cities throughout North America subsequent season. It has been touring usually since fall 2022. There are additionally productions operating on London’s West End, in addition to in Sydney, Australia, and Stuttgart, Germany.
The musical traces the highs and lows of the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, together with her hellish marriage scarred by home violence and the rise as a beloved solo artist with songs like “Private Dancer,” “River Deep, Mountain High,” “The Best” and “Proud Mary.”
“Tina” captured 12 Tony nominations, together with an eventual greatest actress successful trophy for Adrienne Warren within the title function. Hall wrote the ebook with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins.
Two actors share the function of Turner on the street — Naomi Rodgers and Zurin Villanueva, every taking part in 4 of the eight performances per 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 only one actor may play the demanding function on the street, says Hall.
“We saw how hard it is on the body — It’s the physicality, it’s the singing, but it’s also just the emotional heft every night one has to put upon their shoulders and go through, two hours plus of the life of Tina Turner.”
Hall recollects discovering out that Turner had died when she awakened with messages flooding her cellphone. Her thoughts went again to 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.”
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