5 minute read
Story By Page Leggett
Zurin Villanueva performing as Tina Turner and Garrett Turner as Ike Turner in the North American touring production of TINA - The Tina Turner Musical. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, 2022
UNDERSTANDING IKE
Garrett Turner explores the human side of the real-life villain of TINA-The Tina Turner Musical
STORY BY
Page Leggett
Garrett Turner has managed to find common ground with the sometimes-violent man he portrays.
Turner (no relation) plays Ike Turner in today’s performance of TINA-The Tina Turner Musical. Ike is credited with discovering the teenage Anna Mae Bullock of tiny Nutbush, Tennessee, and giving her the stage name “Tina Turner,” but he was also repeatedly abusive to her.
It’s not an easy part to play. Yet Turner gives Ike some humanity back. “He was Black and impoverished and grew up in the rural South in the 1930s,” he said. “He underwent abuse himself. He was sexually abused as a child. His father was basically lynched, yet he learned to play piano and guitar and started a band. One fateful night, he met Anna Mae Bullock and capitalized on her talent. She then made her way to international fame.”
Naomi Rodgers performing “Proud Mary” as Tina Turner and the cast of the North American touring production of TINA - The Tina Turner Musical. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, 2022.
THIS MAN’S STRUGGLE
It’s hard to imagine anyone being better prepared for a role. Turner started out by getting in the best shape of his life. He also scoured the internet for footage of Ike on stage and backstage. He read his autobiography, a biography of him, and Tina’s 2018 memoir, “My Love Story”.
“Then, I turned to the script and the beautiful words by [librettist] Katori Hall,” he said. And he found something he could relate to. “He and I are both Black men from the rural South who had dreams of playing the music we loved. I take seriously this man’s struggle.” Garrett Turner grew up in Florence, Alabama. Ike Turner was raised in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
But understanding Ike’s history doesn’t necessarily make him sympathetic. Turner said the cast and crew take great care to ensure the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the actors involved in violent scenes. Turner singles out America’s most prolific fight choreographer, Rick Sordelet, for his skill and sensitivity.
A man of faith, Turner has a ritual he engages in before every show that includes prayer. “I get grounded and make a clear distinction between Ike and me,” he said. “I allow myself to step into this character. And I take it off after the show.”
Garrett Turner as Ike Turner in the North American touring production of TINA – The Tina Turner Musical. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, 2022
A WILD RIDE
Other musical rags-to-riches stories may be more familiar. Everyone, for instance, associates Loretta Lynn with being a “Coal Miner’s Daughter”. And Cher’s “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” encapsulated the story of her tough childhood.
Like those works, the story of how Anna Mae Bullock became Tina Turner — “the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” who has sold 180 million records worldwide and won 11 Grammy Awards — is made all the more riveting because it’s true.
Who would have predicted that Anna Mae would sell more concert tickets than any other solo performer in music history? Her songs, including “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “Proud Mary,” “Private Dancer,” have become iconic. Her life was a wild ride, and one that’s mesmerizing to witness on stage.
Garrett Turner said audience members should expect to “have the time of their lives” during the show. He knows. He was a member of the audience before he was part of the cast.
“I saw it three times on Broadway,” Turner said. “Adrienne Warren played Tina, and Daniel Watts played Ike. I was on the fifth row, and by the end of the show, I was having an out-of-body experience. The story is one of liberation from violence but also finding your own voice — finding a way to stand in one’s full self. This show could be life-changing for people.”
Turner and company are still in the early stages of a 30-city tour that began in Providence, Rhode Island in September. “We’ve already formed a family,” he said. “We take care of each other.”
CHRISTMAS IN NORTH CAROLINA
Turner said he looks forward to the Charlotte stop, as it will be a homecoming of sorts. His mother is from Hendersonville, North Carolina, one of his best friends is from Davidson, North Carolina, and his aunt lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. That’s where he and his wife, who’s on the road with him, will spend Christmas. His family will be in the audience on Dec. 27 to see his nuanced portrayal of a man too easily characterized as a monster.
Ike is part of the story, but — as Turner points out — this story belongs to the former Anna Mae Bullock. “There’s a reason this show is called ‘Tina,’” he said. “I’m just there to support.”
Pictured Above: Naomi Rodgers as Tina Turner in the North American touring production of TINA - The Tina Turner Musical
Pictured Left: Zurin Villanueva performing “Higher” as Tina Turner and the cast of the North American touring production of TINA - The Tina Turner Musical
Photos by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, 2022.
