Leading ladies of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical discuss portraying the Queen of Rock n’ Roll ahead of Broadway tour stop this December

Ari Groover as Tina Turner // Photo by Matthew Murphy

PNC Broadway KC is closing out the year with a banger. The national Broadway tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical will be rolling through Kansas City Dec. 5-10 at the Music Hall.

Written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Katori Hall and directed by internationally acclaimed Phyllida Lloyd, the musical tells the story of the Queen of Rock n’ Roll’s journey to stardom, and sheds light on the highs and lows she experienced while getting there.

In this production, the role of Tina is shared by actresses Ari Groover and Parris Lewis, both of whom were formerly understudies for the role of Tina. Now, the two get to take the stage in the lead role, bringing Tina’s story to life in their own unique way. The Pitch got to chat with them about portraying the icon, their favorite songs to perform, and more.

The Pitch: Tell us a bit about the musical.

Ari Groover: This show is really about perseverance and resilience. A lot of people are familiar with Ike and Tina and the story of abuse, but this goes past that. You really get the chance to learn about Tina Turner and what made her, her. Specifically, you get to learn about Anna Mae Bullock, who she was first and foremost, and then also after. It’s an involved rock concert and you’re experiencing these memories of Tina while enjoying the music.

Tina Turner is an icon. How does it feel to be portraying her, knowing how much of an impact she’s had on rock music?

Parris Lewis: Honestly, it’s an honor that continuously kind of like slaps you upside the head during the show sometimes. Because you know, we’re in the motions of doing our jobs and things that we are used to doing. But also, every night is different. Every night there are new eyes, new spirits and souls latching on to what we’re bringing onto the stage and what we’ve come to share.  We’re reminded consistently that like, yeah, we’re actors doing a job, and people see us, but we’re channeling Tina.

We’re bringing back so many memories for a lot of these audience members, and also making an introduction for some audience members of who Tina was. It’s an honor to do that authentically. But it’s also just an honor to know that we were chosen, and we were given an opportunity to highlight the icon that Tina is and was, and really shed light on her story, the good and bad. You know, it’s not one sided, it’s a journey of things that she experienced. It’s a privilege to be able to get the opportunity to show up each night and do our best to share her story.

What can fans look forward to from this production?

Groover: What people can look forward to is that not only are they gonna learn so many things about Tina, but I think they’re gonna learn things about themselves. I think people will walk away from this show feeling like “Wow, this woman accomplished so many things.” Not only did she accomplish many things, but she also accomplished them in a time when society told her that she was too old, that she’s Black, that she can’t dominate a white male dominated genre, and that because she’s a mother she has to focus on her kids. She did all of that. It helps people to say I can accomplish anything if I believe in myself. Going on this emotional rollercoaster about this global icon, you’re gonna have a great time, you’re gonna have the memories and nostalgia, but you’re gonna leave feeling something in yourself that anything is possible.

What’s it been like working with the rest of the cast?

Groover: It’s been cool. The reality is that we live where we work. We’re continuously surrounded by each other, but the beauty in that is that we’ve created a family and a community that cares about each other and looks out for each other. It’s an exciting thing because as artists you grow through every opportunity that you get, and you grow through the community you’re surrounded by. In particular for me, this is my third tour, and honestly the Tina family has been my favorite.

Lewis: We got good energy around here. People know how to show up and people know how to support one another. It’s really exciting. Doing the same show every night can feel redundant for some people. For us, it never really gets that way because we’re always inviting each other back into the space and being like, “Let’s have a good time.”  There’s a really good camaraderie here besides really talented people that we can all learn and grow from. I feel like I can learn something from everyone on this tour, and that’s the exciting part because we all bring something different to this process.

What’s it been like preparing for this role?

Groover: This is probably the hardest role on Broadway that was ever created, I stand by that. It teaches you so many things about yourself as a person. You know, it’s one of those roles that in order to feel like you’re really doing it justice, you have to do it wholeheartedly. You have to center and align yourself mentally, spiritually, and emotionally to take everybody on this journey for almost three hours. It’s learning that you’re driving a ship, but you have to rely on your castmates to get you there. It’s definitely a feat.

How does this role differ from previous roles you’ve done on Broadway?

Lewis: Oh, it’s way more physical. The other roles that I’ve played were mostly ensemble. I’ve covered Shug Avery in The Color Purple and I’ve covered Motormouth. The main difference that I’ve noticed in doing these roles is they don’t spend half as much time on stage. So, Tina is a different beast because there aren’t a lot of roles that spend the entire show on stage where they don’t get to leave at all. Outside of that, it’s just the physicality of the role. There’s not a role out here that sings this many songs. The roles I’ve covered or played have never had to sing this many songs in the span of a show, let alone dance at the high intensity that we do. It differs greatly from the things that we’ve done, but I think the beauty in that is that you really see who you are.

What excites you the most about portraying Tina?

Groover: What excites me the most is people’s personal experiences when they see the show and how it sparks up such an honest and joyous memory of a person that is unfortunately, no longer with us. Seeing people dance to “Proud Mary” and hearing the reactions of the things they found out about Tina that they never knew; it just lets us know that this story is something that will always be such a successful thing for people.

Lewis: That’s my favorite part as well. Seeing people respond to the songs that have shaped their journeys in life and things that remind them of different times in their lives is really, really inspiring. It just reminds us of why we’re doing what we do. If I’m depleted, seeing audience members love the music, love the show, and their love for Tina inspires me to keep going to give an even better show the next time.

What’s your favorite Tina Turner song? Has it changed since you’ve been performing?

Groover: It’s funny, I think it changes sometimes from show to show. It just depends. What hits us emotionally that day, that becomes our favorite song. The song that I grew up with the most is “Higher,” that was played at my house all the time. The song I’ve resonated with while doing the show is “Better Be Good to Me,” because I’m starting to listen to the words in the context of where it is in the show, it just hits a little harder.

Lewis: Mine is a ballad. I love “River Deep, Mountain High.” Funnily enough, it was in my book before I did this show. I was singing it for auditions. I was like “Who is a Black artist that I feel like the music calls to me, and I can portray the song?” It was “River Deep, Mountain High.” So, honestly, every show that’s one of the songs I look forward to and the intensity of it.

Paris Lewis performing “River Deep Mountain High” // Photo by Matthew Murphy

What’s it been like seeing each other in the role of Tina?

Groover: It’s wonderful. This industry can find a way to pin particularly Black women against each other when doing anything and there’s none of that at all within this company or show. Parris is a wonderful Tina. I love it because I learn different things about the way Parris performs and then I’m like, oh, that’s a whole different take on what I’ve been doing. It’s beautiful that we can sit here and watch one another with such love and such grace, because we understand how hard this show is.

Lewis: It’s great watching Ari and the other kids that have come before us. It’s fun because you learn something from everybody. We’re all doing the same show, but we all do it differently. It’s really cool to see other people’s take and intention, but also other people’s fire. We take things from each other that we like and use them in scenes.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical will run from Dec. 5-10 at the Music Hall. Tickets can be purchased here.