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Vancouver’s theatre-going audiences have been waiting a long time to see Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. Originating in London back in 2018, it premiered on Broadway the following year. It then began touring Australia two years ago. Turner herself together with long-time companion German music producer Erwin Bach oversaw the show’s creation as well as being executive producers.

Tina Turner is a survivor, who despite her success and fully living up to her title “Queen of Rock and Roll,” lived a pretty tough early life in rural Tennessee. She was abandoned by both her parents as a child. Then later as an adult performer, she was physically abused by her early mentor and partner bandleader Ike Turner.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is a stage musical biography inspired by the Brian Gibson film “What's Love Got to Do with it” which was based on her autobiography “I, Tina: My Life Story.” The story follows in more or less chronological order the life and career of Tina Turner, beginning appropriately, with her childhood as Anna Mae Bullock singing in gospel halls.

The first act moves along at a good pace, examining the period from the time she was recruited as singer fronting Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, eventually becoming the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, until she finally decides that she has suffered enough abuse – physically and emotionally – from Ike Turner and quits the band. One of the many highlights of the first act is a scene where Phil Spector (Bear Manescalchi) produces Tina’s (without Ike) iconic recording of “River Deep, Mountain High.”

By contrast, the second act stumbles along at a patchy, non-linear pace, essentially dealing with Tina struggling to get her solo career on track. But also the later part of the show focuses on her relationships that, in some cases propel her career, and in other cases hinder it. The scene where Tina visits her indifferent mother Zelma (Elaina Walton) before she dies is quite poignant and indicates just how complicated their relationship was. However, it could have easily been omitted for better narrative flow.

Ike Turner, powerfully played by Sterling Baker McClary, is a tragic genius having both charisma and menace. The story doesn’t relate this, but Ike grew up in Mississippi in the thirties and forties, and was no doubt subjected to violence and racism himself, regrettably propagating this personal defect in later life.

Young performer Taylor Brice, who shares the role of young Anna Mae with Natalia Nappo, is certainly a crowd-pleaser. She has an amazing voice that would seem to fit an older and bigger artist.

Whatever happened to the original Ikettes? I’m sure they all went on to solo careers. Mya Bryant, Daniyah Jezel, Morgan Lewis and Aiyana Smash who form the terrific back-up singers and dance troupe in this show manage to reproduce all the campiness of the original Ikettes.

Jayna Elise heads up a talented cast in the eponymous role of Tina. She doesn’t really bear a close physical resemblance to the superstar, but judging by the standing ovation she received, obviously managed to win over the audience. In the show’s encore, Ms. Elise made a couple of Tina Turner’s iconic songs “Simply the Best” and “Nutbush City Limits” her own.

© 2025 John Anthony Jane