IKE STAR IS SIMPLY THE BEST, SAYS TINA
TINA TURNER has given her approval to the actor who will portray the man who beat her and ‘imprisoned’ her against her will for 20 years, in the premiere of a new show about her life.
the rock ’n’ roll goddess has agreed to the casting of Kobna Holdbrook-smith to play singer and music arranger ike turner, who controlled tina physically, mentally and legally for over two decades, in the musical TINA, which previews at the Aldwych theatre from March 21.
‘it might be painful having to watch him on stage,’ said tina, 77, ‘but i know he’s being played by an actor and he can’t hurt me.’
she told me once she rid herself of ike, she never spoke to or saw him again. ‘He was out of my life, for ever,’ she said. ike died in 2007.
tina worked closely with director Phyllida Lloyd, writer Katori Hall and producer tali Pelman, the three main architects of the musical based on turner’s turbulent years with her first husband and her years of freedom when she summoned the courage to walk out on ike.
it’s Holdbrook-smith’s first major musical production, though he perfected his singing while at the Guildford school of Acting. ‘i have sung, and i do sing, but early on i was really interested in straight plays and films and television,’ Holdbrook smith told me.
He said that when projects come up, ‘i tell people i can sing but they never quite hear it,’ though he did land a role in the Disney blockbuster Mary Poppins Returns.
Early in his career he tried unsuccessfully for a role in the Lion King, but casting director Pippa Ailion remembered him and asked him to meet about portraying ike.
Holdbrook-smith didn’t think for a minute that he would make it through the first audition, let alone be seen three times before being offered the part — with tina’s blessing.
Holdbrook-smith, who has roles in the hit Paddington 2 and Justice League, said that when he was recalled, twice, by the powers that be at TINA he found that he ‘desperately wanted the role’. ‘i realised i loved the music, always had, and tina turner’s this amazing icon. it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be involved.’ He said his approach to portraying ike will be that ‘ there’s more detail to these horrific broken souls. i’ve always played rather good guys, so it’s nice to explore how a broken soul becomes that way. ‘ Meanwhile, he’s studying the song list and the numbers he will perform with Adrienne Warren (who plays tina) and the songs he will sing solo. the actor is also shooting an indie movie in Wales called the Dark Outside for director William McGregor and producer Hilary Bevan Jones.