Review: 'Tina: The Tina Turner Musical' a winning show about one woman finding her voice

If you’ve never experienced the unbridled joy and thrill of a Tina Turner concert, head to Kravis Center for “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” now on stage through March 17.

In addition to a slew of terrific numbers throughout the show, the finale is a Tina Turner mini-concert, set during her comeback in the 1980s, during which Ari Groover, as Turner, channels the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll on several songs, including a rafter-rocking performance of “Proud Mary” that had the audience on their feet. (Note: the finale happens after the last song listed in the Playbill and the cast bows, so do not leave early.)

Tina Turner’s life, particularly her tumultuous, abusive relationship with Ike Turner, has been well-documented over the years, both in the news and in “What’s Love Got to Do with It?,” the 1993 film starring Angela Bassett. The stage musical of Turner’s life begins when she was a little girl named Anna-Mae Bullock, growing up in Nutbush, Tennessee. As a child, Anna-Mae found her talent by singing in church, much to the consternation of her strict mother Zelma (Roz White) who labels her as loud and whose lack of affection and distance from her young daughter is chilling.

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Anna-Mae’s childhood home was wrought with physical abuse, and she was ultimately raised by her beloved grandmother, (Wydetta Carter) who encourages Anna-Mae to leave Tennessee and head for St. Louis to use her singing to make a better life. Anna-Mae meets Ike Turner (Deon Releford-Lee) who recruits her into his band, renames her Tina, and coerces her into marriage. The rest of the show details Tina Turner’s non-stop abuse, her spiral into poverty, and her comeback with her 1984 multi-platinum album, “Private Dancer.”

The design elements are spot on for each period, especially the 1960s. Bruno Poet’s lighting design captures the feeling of each part of Turner’s life and his rock concert vision in the finale transforms the Kravis stage from musical to rock concert. Jeff Sugg’s projections enhance the concert flavor, provide a backdrop of trippy psychedelia numbers set in the 1960s — especially “I Want to Take You Higher” — and creates a visual wall of sound on the Phil Spector-produced “River Deep. Mountain High.”

There are many standouts in the talented cast, including Carter as Tina’s unrelenting mother; Sarah Bockel as Tina’s manager Rhonda; Dylan S. Wallach as Roger Davies, the manager who engineered Tina’s comeback; and, as Young Anna-Mae, Symphony King, who wows the audience during the finale performance of “Proud Mary.”

Releford-Lee plays Ike Turner to the hilt, eliciting gasps from the audience whenever he mistreats or beats Tina. Those scenes can be hard to watch, which is a testament to Releford-Lee’s talent.

While Groover, who plays Tina, is a very good actress and delivers the goods on many songs with her powerful voice, too often she veers into exaggeration of Turner’s distinctive vocal style, discarding the enunciation and emphasis Turner used, making some lyrics hard to understand. Despite that, Groover brings much energy and poignancy to her portrayal of Turner’s roller-coaster life.

Whether or not you’re a Tina Turner fan — and seriously, is there really anyone out there who isn’t a Tina Turner fan? — “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” is a winning show, which celebrates one woman’s victory over domestic abuse as she finds her voice and reigns supreme as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

IF YOU GO

“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” runs through March 17, at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. For tickets and information, call 561-832-7469 or visit KravisCenter.org

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Review: 'Tina' celebrates singer's journey from abuse to stardom