"TINA–The Tina Turner Musical" Performance Review

The musical "TINA–The Tina Turner Musical" ran on Broadway from November 7, 2019, to August 14, 2022, and is now on an all-new tour. The cast came to Eisenhower Auditorium on Penn State’s campus on Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

There were long lines outside the auditorium minutes before the scheduled start time. Hundreds filled the theater before and even during the start of the show.

The musical tells the story of a woman who defied the bounds of her age, gender and race. Tina Turner became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll and won 12 Grammy Awards.

The play's opening scene was Tina on the ground right before entering a crowded stage. The backdrop was extraordinarily realistic and brilliantly captured a behind-the-stage look.

Quickly after, young Tina (Anna Mae Bullock) sings overly loud at a community church gathering, embarrassing her mother.

Later at home, it’s revealed that Tina’s father has been abusing her mother, Zelma Bullock, and Zelma has enough and leaves, taking her older daughter with her and leaving Tina to be raised by her grandmother.

Years later, Tina is reunited with her older sister who takes her into town. There, she sings on stage with Ike Turner and is encouraged to join his band. Tina sang beautifully and her powerful, soulful voice delivered a strong belt.

Ike gives Tina the stage name “Tina Turner” and eventually asks her to marry him and never leave. Ike is abusive and possessive toward Tina and after enduring years of abuse, she leaves after a fight, taking her mother’s advice to do what she did.

Tina ultimately divorces Ike and fights to reclaim her career and identity, facing discrimination due to her older age and race.

Then, with the help of a new manager, Tina begins to reinvent herself singing what she enjoys, rock n’ roll, gaining recognition on her own terms.

During her performance of “Disco Inferno,” a disco ball centered in the auditorium lit up the theater. It was incredible how the whole place sparkled.

In an emotional scene, Tina confronts her dying mother Zelma for not being a good mom, and she reveals that she resented Tina because that led her to stay with her abusive husband.

The musical ends with an electrifying concert in Brazil, where the audience sees Tina in the same position as the opening scene, about to enter the stage.

Tina, filled with confidence and a sense of empowerment, performs in front of thousands of fans, symbolizing her remarkable journey from hardship to triumph.

Tina’s stage lit up with her name in huge letters and white noise machines roared as she sang her heart out with the same powerful vocals that had captivated the audience throughout the entire performance.

Suddenly, the background noise cut out and so did Tina’s microphone. The show went on as the audience clapped on beat and Tina kept singing, as well as encouraging the audience to sing along with her.

While it was unfortunate that Tina could not be heard for her last song performance, it was a wholesome moment between her and the audience members, as they sang and clapped and she smiled through it all.

After a few moments of some silence and confusion, the speaker system was back to working and the cast members came out for their curtain call.

The performance was wonderful.

It was filled with impressively strong vocal and acting deliveries. The story was inspiring and covered emotional and sensitive topics.

Zelma’s actress, Elaina Walton, gave a dynamic vocal performance and presented her lines with excellent and humorous delivery. The cigarette prop she used also looked very realistic.

There was also an amazing vocal performance by Tina’s original manager Rhonda Graam, played by Kristen Daniels, and she and Tina sang a powerful duet before Tina left her to pursue her dream of rock n’ roll.

The lead actress, Mona Swain, was incredible in her role as Tina and essentially outshined the entire cast with her strong stage presence, emotional depth, and captivating charisma.

Rachel Fisher is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email rlf5481@psu.edu.