TINA Previews

Adrienne Warren is one helluva performer- this could be a superstar turn for her- she absolutely burned the stage with her energy in London. Can't wait to hear how she fares in NYC. She is an amazing talent. The last time I saw a performance like that was Fela- the guy who played that role was phenomenal- but his career did not seem to ignite. Hoping for a different scenario for Warren- hope she gets the recognition I think she deserves.

Friends saw it in London when it first opened and loved it.

The website says the first preview is tomorrow night, the 12th. Is there an invited dress tonight?

My opinion-but is is not mediocre at all for being a musical biography of a rock star. It deals with all of the aspects of Tina's life- and the soundtrack is basically her Greatest Hits. I do not find jukebox musicals generally to be all that great- though I did love Beautiful- the only one i really loved- that being said- Tina is exactly what it sets out to be- not intellectually stimulating or groundbreaking- but simply a musical biography of an icon in the show biz realm- and it does succeed on that level, IMO.

I saw the dress rehearsal and it’s not a great show. Too many filler songs and the narrative is a mess. A few dropped props and some costume issues but a pretty amazing go at it considering they hadn’t run the whole show at all beforehand.


Adrienne Warren is good- when you can understand what she’s saying. She’s unintelligible for most of it. But still, it’s a true star performance and she will win the Tony.


It will be very interesting to see how this fares after the recent slew of flop jukebox shows.

Plus Company, too. In fact Warren already lost the Olivier to Clarke and I would give the Tony to Clarke too. Anyway, maybe I’m pessimistic but Tina is exactly what you’d expect - a kind of cookie cutter jukebox musical with all the cliche twists and turns you could expect. Cheap humour. Tenuous use of songs. Melodrama etc. but combine this with these classic songs, the interesting if cliche story and amazing amazing star turn, I personally don’t need much more. It was hard to believe I was hearing what I was hearing from her vocals at times. It’s on a whole new level. Has she still got it?

Adrienne Warren is good- when you can understand what she’s saying. She’s unintelligible for most of it. But still, it’s a true star performance and she will win the Tony.

She gives an incredible performance but I sincerely doubt she will WIN the Tony.

As far as jukebox and bio musicals go, I think it’s safe to say that TINA is one of the more solid and respectable efforts. That being said, TINA also has one of the chronic problems that all musicals of this genre have which is a (sometimes) weak book.

I say sometimes because there really are quite a few great moments in the book, especially in the second act. However, for all these great moments, there are also a plethora of slow and creaky moments. I found TINA to be most successful and its best when it was exploring the darker and more challenging areas of Tina Turner’s life. The show does not shy away from the abuse, addiction, and brutal challenges she faced. It is refreshing to see a bio musical that actually delves into and shows the dark struggles and challenges instead of simply glossing over them.

There are no gimmicks in the storytelling here. It is very straightforward. Luckily there are no three Tinas sharing the stage talking to each other like in the last two diva bio musicals we saw! In terms of structure, the show is very similar to Beautiful in that is linear, but I found Tina Turner’s life to be much more interesting than Carole King’s.

Adrienne Warren is giving an absolute knockout powerhouse performance. Her acting, vocals, and physicality are incredible and worth the price of a ticket alone. This has to be one of the most demanding roles on Broadway in a long time, but she effortlessly delivers on every front. She is onstage 90% of the show, and she is definitely the heart and soul of the show.

At the end of the night, there is no denying that this show is wildly entertaining despite suffering from a sometimes weak book. The music is (obviously) sensational, and the audience went nuts for this. With Beautiful closing in a few weeks, I think it is safe to say that this will be the next multiyear run jukebox musical.

I’m not a fan of biopic musicals, but I saw this in London and for me, this is the gold standard by which biopic musicals should be judged. (That’s a low bar, but...)

I didn’t understand why this was being made into a musical when WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT, told the Ike and Tina story so thoroughly, but after having seen the show, I immediately understood. There was a lot more to Turner’s story than what the movie covered. Unlike JERSEY BOYS or BEAUTIFUL, the thing I appreciated about this was that the stakes of Turner’s story were undeniable. They were life and death. Not boo Hoo, somebody broke my heart (Yes, that meant as hyperbole.)

While I thought Bassett’s performance was amazing in the movie, I think Warren’s perf is in a whole other league. I saw CAROLINE & COMPANY in London, but this was the performance that stood out to me.

The show’s not perfect. It’s still got the standard biopic trappings, but for my money, this is worlds better than any other show from that genre I’ve seen onstage in a while. I’m curious to see how audiences here will react to it.



ggersten said: "disneybroadwayfan22 said: "Unfortunately, Adrienne has possibly lost her shot at the Tony after the woman from CoC was announced with the transfer.

Planning on seeing this next year, going to see this for Adrienne! She’s amazing in the footage. Just wish her Oliver-winning co-star transferred with her"

I thought the actor who played Ike was...not good. I was shocked he won the Olivier. He was one-note evil. Part of my problem with Tina is that you get absolutely no sense of Ike as a charmer - this version has no redeeming values. Now, that may be more accurate since he is dead and can't complain or threaten suit based on how he is presented - or it could be less accurate. Also, the actor's accent was atrocious and hard to understand in London. And, I'm from St. Louis!

I thought one of the stronger scenes in London was the recording session with Spector for River Deep Mountain High.

One of the weaknesses in the book (in London) is the on again - off again treatment of Tina's sons. They seemed more of a plot device - to create problems for Tina to overcome. But, the relationships just sort of there - and then forgotten."