A strong cast cannot save TINA – The Tina Turner Musical
Strong cast cannot save Tina Turner musical
Review: The bio musical at Landmark Theatre left much to be desired

TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is a messy, long journey through the rise, fall, and rise again of the queen of rock ‘n’ roll. The show is chock full of Turner’s hits and is perfect for superfans of her music. However, for those uninitiated in the deep lore of Tina Turner, the show can feel like a slog.
Due to sickness in the company, the January 30 performance ended up being the first of six performances at the Landmark Theatre. From an audience standpoint, it was impossible to tell that the cast could have been under the weather. Jayna Elise in the titular role was an absolute knockout, delivering number after show-stopping number. If you’re looking for a reason to get to the Landmark this weekend, it should be to hear Elise’s vocals.
Unfortunately, other elements of the production did not meet expectations. Though the first night in any new venue could be rocky, the technical elements of the show were not up to snuff. Throughout the show, there were noticeable lighting and sound issues: actors were not properly lit or were caught in shaky spotlights; microphones were left off during dialogue; the sound of the band overpowered the actor’s dialogue. The frequency of these tiny mistakes made it impossible to ignore them, especially when they occurred at pivotal moments.
The set was sparse, consisting mostly of projections on LED panels. Projections, if used correctly, can add to the storytelling in stage productions. But more often than not, they end up feeling lazy, as they did in this production. The projections quickly grew tired and were at times overwhelming, bright colors flashing at the audience for limited dramatic effect. More than anything, the projections were distracting, doing too much to make up for the limited set.

The night’s biggest disappointment was the lackluster book, written in part by Pulitzer Prize winner Katori Hall. Though the book was funny and made occasional commentary on the black experience in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the scenes feel like filler to move the show from one song to the next. There was too much and too little at the same time, with plot points introduced left and right but never fully expanded upon.
By the end of the three-hour show, one felt bad for the actors, giving their all despite illness in the company, only to be met with insufficient and occasionally rude audience reactions. During Act One alone, three cell phones loudly rang, with their owners in no hurry to silence them. When Elise began “River Deep – Mountain High,” an audience member walking up the aisle tripped, causing a ruckus in the area of the theatre I was seated in. Finally, during the show’s final number “(Simply) The Best,” audience cell phones came flying out to take photos and videos. Ushers seemed unaware of this extremely distracting and obvious display across the theatre. Theatre etiquette in Syracuse is dead.
Though the cast is superb, the quality of their performances is not enough to endorse spending the money on tickets. Between a messy book, underwhelming scenic design and a disrespectful audience, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical left me wanting less. Oh, and those actors deserve a raise.