REVIEW: TINA- THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at the James M. Nederlander Theatre Through April 2, 2023

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TINA- THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL

Produced in association with Tina Turner

Written by Tony Award nominee, Pulitzer Prize and Olivier Award-winner Katori Hall

REVIEW:

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

"This is literally the best show I've ever seen." My friend, Teresa exclaimed as the audience rose en masse, for a rousing standing ovation, at the press opening for TINA- THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre. 

Bonnie Kenaz-Mara, and sisters Catherine and Teresa Hellmann, at the press opening of  TINA- THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre

The energy was palpable and the kudos well deserved. It's no easy feat playing a living legend, particularly one with powerhouse vocals and such a striking presence. Tina Turner's real life story is at once as tragic and triumphant as any Shakespearian masterpiece and Zurin Villanueva and Ari Groover share the role to bring this tale to life in style. We caught Villanueva on opening night and she was stunningly talented in this challenging role.

Zurin Villanueva as ‘Tina Turner’ and the cast of the North American touring production of TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL. 

All Production Photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

Ike Turner (Garrett Turner) is also exceptionally well played as the villain we loved to hate. Though his audacious abuse is hard to watch and may be triggering for some, it's a story that can't be glossed over, and a cautionary tale of toxic masculinity that's still all too common an occurrence. 

Garrett Turner as 'Ike Turner' and Roz White as 'Zelma'

In the early years and again at curtain call, accompanying her older self, Young Anna-Mae (Ayvah Johnson) stole the show with her incredible voice and a confidence far beyond her years. Roz White as Zelma Bullock, Lael Van Keuren as Rhonda, and particularly Ann Nesby as Gran Georgeanna are standouts as well. 

Ayvah Johnson as 'Young Anna-Mae' and the cast of the North American touring production of 

TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL

Zurin Villanueva as ‘Tina Turner’ and Ann Nesby as 'Gran Georgeanna' 

One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, Tina Turner has won 12 Grammy Awards and her live shows have been seen by millions, with more concert tickets sold than any other solo performer in music history.

It's a joy to see a rags to riches story this empowering, where Anna-Mae/Tina, a child abandoned by both parents, a young woman physically and psychologically abused by her husband, and a single, middle aged mom struggling to make a comeback in a racist, sexist, agest industry, not only survives but thrives. Don't miss this! ★★★★ Four out of four stars.

Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and Mama to 2 amazing adults. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly). 

Photo Credit: B. Kenaz-Mara

"Writer Katori Hall has created A MUSICAL THEATER MASTERPIECE.” 

– Amsterdam News

TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL, the electrifying production produced in association with Tina Turner and written by Katori Hall is now playing a limited engagement at the James M. Nederlander Theatre through April 2, 2023. Tickets are on sale at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Additional ticket information and the performance schedule are below. 

The cast is led by Zurin Villanueva (The Lion King, Mean Girls, Shuffle Along, The Book of Mormon) and Ari Groover (TINA Broadway, Head Over Heels, Holler If Ya Hear Me) who will evenly share the role of Tina Turner, each playing four (of eight) performances a week. Groover will play the full run in Chicago, stepping in for Naomi Rodgers who is on a temporary leave from the show. Also starring are Garrett Turner as Ike Turner, Roz White as Zelma Bullock, Ann Nesby as Gran Georgeanna and Lael Van Keuren as Rhonda. 

Ann Nesby as 'Gran Georgeanna' 

All Production Photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade 

“MIND BLOWING AND LIFE CHANGING.

A story that needs to be shared, especially today.” 

– ABC News

The ensemble includes Daelyanna Kelly Benson, Antonio Beverly, Taylor A. Blackman, Karen Burthwright, Aliyah Caldwell, Lillian Charles, Max Falls, Zachary Freier-Harrison,  Reyna Guerra, Gordia Hayes,  Andre Hinds, Takia Hopson, Ayvah Johnson, Geoffrey Kidwell, Parris Mone’t Lewis, Nia Nelson-Williams, Gracie Phillips, Nicole Powell, Terance Reddick, Shari Washington Rhone, Jacob Roberts-Miller, Aniya Simone, Chris Stevens, Jeff Sullivan, and Carlton Terrence Taylor. 

“It has been years since I toured the US and I am very excited that my own musical can now bring my music and story to my fans in their home cities across America. It’s a homecoming and that is very special to me,” said Tina Turner.

“We are delighted to begin this next chapter for TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL. The North American tour will see the show enjoy its sixth production around the world since opening in the West End in 2018, which is testimony to Tina’s extraordinary legacy. This tour clearly has special resonance for Tina herself, and now more than ever we can’t wait to uplift audiences across America with her joyful and triumphant story," the producers, Tali Pelman from Stage Entertainment and Jimmy Nederlander said. “We can’t wait to introduce America to the two megawatt superstars—Ari Groover and Zurin Villanueva — who will share the role of Tina, Garrett Turner in the role of Ike, and the incredibly talented company who are hitting the road on tour!"

Garrett Turner as 'Ike Turner'

“PREPARE TO BE ECSTATICALLY BLOWN AWAY!” 

– The Daily Beast

Produced by Stage Entertainment, James L. Nederlander and Tali Pelman, in association with Tina Turner, TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL was written by Tony Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize winner Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins.

TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is directed by Tony Award nominee Phyllida Lloyd with choreography by Tony Award nominee Anthony van Laast, set and costume designs by Tony Award nominee Mark Thompson, musical Music Supervision, Arrangements & Incidental Music by Nicholas Skilbeck, lighting by Tony Award nominee Bruno Poet, sound by Tony Award nominee Nevin Steinberg, projection design by Tony Award nominee Jeff Sugg, orchestrations by Tony Award nominee Ethan Popp, wigs, hair and makeup design by Drama Desk Award winner Campbell Young Associates, and casting by The Telsey Office.  

“I’VE RARELY HEARD AN AUDIENCE WITH THIS MIGHTY A ROAR.” 

– NY Times

Zurin Villanueva performing _Higher_ as ‘Tina Turner’ and the cast of the North American touring production of TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL.

ABOUT TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL 

An uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll.  

Zurin Villanueva as ‘Tina Turner’ and the cast of the North American touring production of 

TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL.

This new musical, based on the life of legendary artist Tina Turner and presented in association with Tina Turner herself, received its world premiere in April 2018 in London, where it opened to five-star reviews and has broken box office records at the Aldwych Theatre. In March 2019, the German production opened at Stage Operettenhaus in Hamburg, and the Dutch production opened at the Beatrix Theater, Utrecht, in February 2020. A third European production opened in the Fall of 2021 at the Teatro Coliseum in Madrid, Spain.

TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL originally opened on Broadway on November 7, 2019, and was nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The production reopened at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on October 8, 2021, following the 18-month industry-wide shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Broadway production ended performances Sunday, August 14.

Produced by Stage Entertainment and Ghostlight Records and featuring the original London cast, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical: Original Cast Recording is available worldwide on CD, both online and in stores. The CD features a 20-page booklet, which includes liner notes, synopsis, and production and studio photography. The album was recorded in February 2019 at Angel Studios and RAK Studios, produced by the show’s Music Supervisor Nicholas Skilbeck and Kurt Deutsch and co-produced by Tom Kelly. To download or stream the album or order the CD, please visit http://www.ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/riverdeep-tinaturnermusical.

When she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October 2021, Tina Turner became one of only three women in the institution’s history to be inducted twice (she was initially inducted in 1991 alongside Ike Turner).

Garrett Turner as 'Ike Turner'

Zurin Villanueva performing as ‘Tina Turner’ and Garrett Turner as 'Ike Turner'

The Emmy-nominated feature documentary TINA is now available to stream on HBO Max. A revealing and intimate look at the life and career of musical icon Tina Turner, TINA charts her improbable rise to early fame, her personal and professional struggles throughout her life, and her even more improbable resurgence as a global phenomenon in the 1980s. The feature documentary is from Academy Award-winning directors Dan Lindsay, T.J. Martin, and Lightbox, the production company founded by Academy Award-winning producer Simon Chinn and Emmy-winning producer Jonathan Chinn, together with Emmy-nominated producer Diane Becker.

TICKET INFORMATION

Ticket prices range from $52.50 -$152.50 with a select number of premium tickets available. Individual tickets are available by visiting www.BroadwayInChicago.com, or going to any Broadway In Chicago venue box office. Tickets are available for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com.

Follow @TinaBroadway on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 22 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District, entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop, including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at the Auditorium Theatre.

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

Follow @broadwayinchicago on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok

@broadwaychicago on Twitter

#broadwayinchicago

 

Zurin Villanueva as ‘Tina Turner’ in the North American touring production of TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL.

ACT OUT OPENING: The Mountaintop at Court Theatre

COURT THEATRE PRESENTS

THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF KATORI HALL’S

THE MOUNTAINTOP

DIRECTED BY RESIDENT ARTIST RON OJ PARSON

Court Theatre Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert present The Mountaintop written by Katori Hall, and directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson. The Mountaintop will run September 5 – October 6, 2013 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue. 

Winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play

On the eve of his assassination, a weary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. returns to his lonely hotel room in Memphis. Restless, he begins to work on his next speech when he’s suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a young hotel maid named Camae. The two strike up an unlikely conversation and as the hour grows late and Dr. King’s fate presses closer, Camae reveals that she is more than she appears. The Mountaintop offers a beautiful and powerful meditation on mortality, destiny, and the liminal space where the material meets the divine. Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson will direct this new portrayal of Dr. King.

“The Mountaintop is one of the most extraordinary plays I've had the pleasure of encountering in recent years, and as soon as I first read it I knew instantly that it should open Court Theatre's fifty-ninth season. Court's intimate space is perfectly suited to the quiet power of Katori Hall's play, and under the incisive direction of Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson, this Mountaintop has the potential to really sing as it would nowhere else,” says Artistic Director Charles Newell. “Not only am I proud to present the Chicago premiere of The Mountaintop, I'm grateful and truly moved that Court Theatre has the opportunity to explore, through the art form of drama, the life and legacy of such a crucial figure of our time.”

Previews are September 5 – September 13, 2013.  Curtain times are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. with Saturday matinees at 3 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Ticket prices are $35 to $45 for preview performances; $45 to $65 for regular run performances. Tickets are available at the Box Office, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or online at www.CourtTheatre.org. Student and senior discounts available. Groups of 10 or more may purchase discounted tickets by calling Kate Vangeloff at 773-834-3243.

The Mountaintop is sponsored by Allstate, and Ron OJ Parson’s artistic residency is made possible by a grant from The Joyce Foundation.

The cast of The Mountaintop is David Alan Anderson (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) and Lisa Beasley (Camae).

The creative team includes Scott Davis (scenic design), Melissa Torchia (costume design), Sarah Hughey (lighting design), Victoria Delorio (sound design), Martine Kei Green-Rogers (dramaturgy). William Collins is the Stage Manager. 

David Alan Anderson (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) is making Court Theatre debut with The Mountaintop.  He is a 2013 recipient of the prestigious Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship, sponsored by the Ten Chimneys Foundation (tenchimneys.org).  A resident of Indianapolis, he is a frequent performer with the Indiana Repertory Theatre, where his many credits include The Whipping Man, Radio Golf, Gem of the Ocean, Romeo and Juliet, The Heavens are Hung in Black, A Christmas Carol, the title role in Julius Caesar,  and the one man show Looking Over the President's Shoulder.  He is a company member with the critically acclaimed Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, MN, where his credits include King Hedley II, Seven Guitars, Two Trains Running, and Jitney.  Regional credits include Troy in Fences at Denver Center, Walter Lee in A Raisin in the Sun at The Guthrie, Penumbra, Cleveland Playhouse, Arizona Theatre Co., and Kansas City Rep, Othello at Great Lakes Theatre and Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Kent in King Lear and Othello at Pennsylvania Shakespeare, and Sebastian in The Tempest at Actors Theatre of Louisville.  Other credits include Geva Theatre, Syracuse Stage Lake Tahoe Shakes, St. Louis Black Rep., and Peoples Light and Theatre.  Directing credits include Most Valuable Player and The Color of Justice at Indiana Rep, and Topdog/Underdog and Two Trains Running at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis.  He also works in film and television and does voiceover work.

Lisa Beasley (Camae) is making her Court Theatre debut with The Mountaintop. Her recent credits include eta Creative Arts Foundation - Field of Souls (Ruby) and Flow (Will Power); Black Ensemble Theatre - The Marvin Gaye Story (Ensemble), One Name Only (Tanika), The Other Cinderella (Margarite), and From Doo Wop to Hip Hop (Nina), and a company member with Black Ensemble Plays With A Purpose and The High School Series. Originally from Gary, IN, Lisa is a graduate of The LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, TN with a B.A. in Classical Jazz Studies and also attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy of Los Angeles.

Now in its 59^th season, Court Theatre is guided by its mission to discover the power of classic theatre. Court endeavors to make a lasting contribution to American theatre by expanding the canon of translations, adaptations, and classic texts. Court revives lost masterpieces, illuminates familiar texts, and distinguishes fresh, modern classics. Court engages and inspires its audience by providing artistically distinguished productions, audience enrichment activities, and student educational experiences.

Court Theatre is the professional theatre in residence at the University of Chicago continuing to discover the power of classic theatre. Court Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Productions are made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and by a City Arts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Court Theatre is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the American Theatre; the League of Resident Theatres; the Illinois Humanities Council; the Arts Alliance Illinois; the League of Chicago Theatres; and Hyde Park Cultural Alliance.

Title:                The Mountaintop

Written by:        Katori Hall

Directed by:      Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson

Dates:                Previews:        September 5 – September 13, 2013

                        p.m.      

Regular run:     September 15 – October 6, 2013

Schedule:         Wed & Thurs: 7:30 PM

Fridays:           8:00 PM

Saturdays:       3:00 PM & 8:00 PM 

Sundays: 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM

Location:          Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets:            $35-$45 previews

                        $45-$65 regular run

Box Office:       Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or www.CourtTheatre.org

Notes of Interest:

• Hall’s The Mountaintop won the 2010 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. Notable international productions include the critically-acclaimed James Dacre-directed London production at Theatre 503 and Trafalgar Studios, and the subsequent 2012 Broadway production starring Angela Bassett and Samuel L Jackson.  

• Saturday, August 28 marks the 50^th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s historic “March on Washington.”  In commemoration of the event, the DuSable Museum will be reenacting the March, to include a portion of Dr. King’s seminal “I Have a Dream” speech read by David Alan Anderson who portrays Dr. King in Court Theatre’s production of The Mountaintop. 

• Hall’s plays include Hoodoo Love, which was produced Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City; Remembrance, which won the 2011 Susan Smith Blackburn Award; Saturday Night/Sunday Morning; WHADDABLOODCLOT!!!!; and Pussy Valley.  She has also been published as a book reviewer, journalist, and essayist in publications such as The Boston Globe, Essence, Newsweek and The New York Times. She was a Kennedy Center Playwriting Fellow at the O’Neill.