Simply the best: Broadway Across Canada’s The Tina Turner Musical
By Ansharah Shakil, Daman Singh, March 28 2025—
Broadway Across Canada ran their production of TINA – The Tina Turner Musical at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium this past week and it took you on a journey through the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s life. Tina, played by Jayna Elise, traces her life backed with hits from Turner’s discography, making for one of the most intriguing theatre experiences.
Based on the book Tina by Katori Hall, the first act of the musical explores Turner’s origin story — Anne Mae’s story. The story begins in her small town with her as the young vocal prodigy who sings louder than ever. A couple years later, Mae finds herself living in St. Louis with her mother and her sister, Alline.
Soon we are introduced to Ike Turner, the man who — for better or worse — changed her life. With a dazzling performance of “She Made My Cold Blood Run”, Sterling Baker-Mcclary charms his way into Anna Mae’s life. She falls in love right there, and he falls in love with her voice.
The stage production on TINA is nothing short of commendable. From the first scene, you’re travelling through space with the background visuals. The set design finds its strength in the minimalism of it during the first act. In some scenes, even with the most minimal props, you take in so much — owing to the strong performances of all the actors.
Slowly the musical starts to explore the negatives of her life. As Anna Mae takes on the name Tina Turner, performing with Ike Turner and the Ikkettes, we find her in a long abusive relationship with Ike. The first act of the musical is intense, sad and at times uncomfortable. We’re faced with the harsh realities of her relationships. The production does a wonderful job at portraying the true nature of abuse, misogyny and the race struggles of the times. While it is discomforting to watch, it is the true story of the woman who went ahead to become the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
In the second act, we’re launched immediately into a glittering rendition of “Private Dancer”, where we see Tina struggling to make ends meet by performing in Las Vegas bars, unable to get a record label to sign her because of her age, race and gender.
After watching her perform “Disco Inferno”, young Australian music producer Roger Davies (Joe Honberger) asks to become her manager. Scott’s amusing and lively performance was a hit with audiences, his earnest love for Tina’s music winning both Tina and the viewers over. Then Tina is off to London, which leads us into “I Can’t Stand the Rain”, a tour de force with fitting set design that speaks eloquently to Tina’s difficulty in trying to follow this new path.
The reappearance of a young Anna Mae and her Gran Georgeanna to help guide Tina in “Tonight” is the most touching way to help Tina gain back her confidence and faith in herself. We watch Anna Mae pick out the denim jacket and leather mini-dress Tina is famous for and hand them to her, a symbol of the new Tina.
Tina Turner’s voice was utterly singular, transforming every song she was in. Both Brice and Elise are undeniably talented performers, with incredible vocals well up to the task of channeling Tina’s exceptional, magnetic stage presence, but their performances also show a loving understanding of who Tina was throughout her life.
The subsequent performance of “What’s Love Got to Do With It” is the moment everyone’s been waiting for. One of Tina’s biggest hits for good reason, it’s a song completely crafted for her and her voice. Donning Tina’s trademark blonde wig, Elise provides a powerful performance of the Tina audiences know and have been waiting for. “What’s Love Got to Do With It” is the moment of triumph she deserves.
The ending of the musical is a victory that is all the more satisfying to watch after seeing everything Tina’s gone through to get to this point. Both she and Roger celebrate her returned success, this time on her own, before one of the biggest concerts of her career in Brazil. It’s delightfully meta — Tina performing for an audience in front of an audience — and the moment when she turns to face the stage and ascends the stairs is unforgettable.
No better song could start off her performance, and end the musical, than “(Simply) the Best”, a crowd-pleasing cover that became irreversibly tied to the power of Tina’s voice and identity. It’s followed by two welcome encores. The musical transforms itself into a concert, Elise and all her backup dancers lit up on stage in an electrifying performance that captures the spirit of the incredible quality of Tina’s live shows, and how she was and always will be a legend.
More information about Broadway Across Canada, their upcoming shows and the musical can be found here.