SU alum rolling into Landmark Theatre with TINA – The Tina Turner Musical
SU alum rolls into Landmark with Tina Turner musical
Morgan Lewis, class of 2024, returns to Syracuse to bring to life the story of the Queen of Rock n’ Roll.

Tina Turner is back on stage — and so is Morgan Lewis.
Lewis, who graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University in May 2024, will making her return to the Syracuse spotlight — but this time, as a performer in the national tour of TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, a production that follows the life and career of Tina Turner.
“It’s really surreal. You know, I’m super grateful,” said Lewis. “And it’s sort of a full-circle moment to be coming back to Syracuse less than a year after graduation.”
In the show, which plays January 28 through February 1 at the Landmark Theatre, Lewis plays Ikette #1, one of Tina and Ike’s backup dancers. As such, she spends much of the show singing and dancing along with Tina, performing iconic numbers such as “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” and “Proud Mary.” Ikette #1 is based on Robbie Montgomery, one of the original Ikettes. Montgomery introduced Tina to Buddhism, serving as, as Lewis describes it, “artistic support” to Tina.
In addition to performing as Ikette #1, Lewis understudies the parts of Young Alline, Tina’s sister, and Rhonda, Tina’s manager. She has yet to perform the Rhonda track but got to perform the Young Alline track when the tour stopped in Miami. “It was nice to have a little bit of a break from my normal track because I do a lot in the show,” said Lewis.

Though she enjoys traveling as part of the job, Lewis emphasizes that constantly being on the road has its downsides.
“Being on planes and busses for such long periods of time can be really hard on the mind and body. But I’m really enjoying getting to see parts of America that I probably wouldn’t have seen,” she said. “The highlight so far has been exploring cities that are in cornbread America, for lack of better words, like random cities in the Midwest that have ended up being some of my favorite places.”
Lewis shared that audience reactions tend to be the biggest in southern states, possibly because the majority of the show’s content takes place in the South. Lewis grew up in Nashville, approximately two and a half hours away from Tina Turner’s hometown of Nutbush, Tennessee. With a laugh, she revealed that she mentioned her hometown in her audition tape, wondering if that aided in her casting.
When in Syracuse, Lewis looks forward to visiting a few local spots, including Oh My Darling, Pastabilities, and Apizza. She said Apizza has “incredible chicken parm,” and added, “I can’t wait to order that every night I’m there.”

Lewis emphasized how her education at Syracuse helped her grow as a performer. From masterclasses taught by working professionals in the industry to experience understudying, she traces it back to the knowledgeable faculty here at Syracuse.
“I owe a lot of thanks to my professors at Syracuse for the training and sort of the discipline that they instilled in me,” she said.
To cap off the full-circle nature of Lewis’s visit, she will be teaching a masterclass to drama department students. Lewis will teach the show’s choreography for “Disco Inferno,” joking that those attending should be ready to sweat.
“I’m super excited,” she said.