Theater preview: In ‘Tina,’ Broadway in Fresno closes the season with a tribute to a rock icon
What’s Tina got to do with it? In the Broadway musical bearing her name, pretty much everything.
Pictured above: Kristen Daniels as Rhonda Graam and Jayna Elise as Tina Turner in “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.” Photo:
When “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” opens at the Saroyan Theatre on Monday, May 12, for a two-night run, the Broadway in Fresno production will be a chance for fans of the beloved singer to experience her life story through many of her greatest hits.
I talked with Kristen Daniels, who plays Tina Turner’s longtime manager in the show, to find out a little bit more about the national tour of the musical, which opened on Broadway in xxxx. Here are Five Things to Know:
1. This is definitely a bio-musical.
Some jukebox musicals use the catalog of famed singers to string together a fictional storyline. Others take the solid life-story route, with key songs capturing important biographical and emotional moments. “Tina” is the latter.
“I think of it as a memory play,” Daniels says. “It’s told really creatively.”
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The show opens in 1988 with Turner about to perform in front of more than 180,000 people in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From there, a series of flashbacks go from the singer as a girl to her famous history with Ike Turner and their subsequent divorce, then her fight to be recognized on her own terms as a singer. The narrative circles back to the Rio concert, one of the most famous in music history.
2. Turner herself was heavily involved in the creation of the show.
At first she didn’t want to dwell on the past, Daniels says. But after some convincing, she signed on to the project.
“She was very much in the room helping out with the book of the show and really making it an accurate portrayal of her story,” Daniels says. “And, you know, she was there on opening night in London.”
The show opened on the West End in 2018 with Adrienne Warren playing Tina. A year later she reprised the role on Broadway. In this second national Broadway tour coming to the Saroyan, the title role is played by Jayna Elise.
Tina Turner died in 2023 at the age of 83.
3. Daniels plays a very important character in Tina Turner’s life: her manager.
Rhonda Graam was actually one of Ike Turner’s girlfriends. She started as a groupie, and then Ike Turner hired her as a manager. When he and Tina divorced, Rhonda stuck with Tina. They became very close, with Rhonda serving as maid of honor when Tina remarried.
“They were such great, great friends, similar to sisters, through the rest of their lives,” Daniels says.
A high point of the show for her comes when Rhonda sings “Open Arms” with Tina.
4. If you love ‘70s and ‘80s fashion, you’re in luck.
“I won the lottery when it came to the costumes in this show,” Daniels says. “The accessories that I get to wear are so fun. She always has earrings and necklaces and pant suits and just the best.”
5. It all comes down to the music.
With such hits as ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It” to “Proud Mary,” the lineup is a feast for Turner fans.
What is Daniels’ favorite number? That’s easy: “The Best.”
“It’s actually one of my favorite songs in general,” she says. “I could listen to that one over and over and over again. Getting to just sing that every night, I never get tired of it. It’s just such an anthem, and just really encompasses being a part of the show.”
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