Meet the 2 actors it takes to play Tina Turner, as musical makes Austin run The two Tinas have to switch off days performing
This is simply the best. “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” is now in Austin, and the lead role as the queen of rock and roll is so intense, it requires two people to play the part.
The musical, which chronicles the life of Turner, will be at Bass Concert Hall through Jan. 14. We caught up with the two actors sharing the role of Turner ahead of the show. Here’s what we learned:
Ari Groover and Parris Lewis both play Turner in the show and alternate days during the week, which includes four shows. On the weekend, one will do the matinee show, and the other will do the evening show, Lewis said.
“It helps maintain the success of the show,” she said.
The role is a beast: the show lasts nearly three hours and the Tinas are on stage for just about the entire time, save for clothing changes. They sing 22 to 23 songs a night, depending on encores.
“You kind of get a bit of a taste of Tina’s life by doing this show. It’s very
interesting,” Groover said.
Sharing a role can be a bonding experience
Groover and Lewis have bonded over sharing the incredibly taxing role of Turner.
“I love actually sharing the role with somebody because you get to have somebody who understands your journey and understands what it takes to actually drive this show forward,” Groover said. “It is nice to have this sort of sisterhood within the show that we’re doing.”
Groover and Lewis aren’t competing, Groover explained. Instead, they’ve found someone to lean on in each other. When doing the show gets tough, they can support each other and know exactly what the other person is going through, Groover said.
“It’s nice to have,” she said.
Expect a rock concert
“Audiences can expect a jam-packed thrill ride, because there’s so many layers involved in our show,” Lewis said.
The show covers Turner’s relationships with her family and Ike Turner and her rise to fame. Groover said the show shows Turner’s life in a way people haven’t really seen before.
“We all know the story of the abuse (by Ike Turner) but we go past that to how she really became a global icon,” Groover said.
Both Groover and Lewis feel a responsibility to play Turner with thoughtfulness and to honor her. Turner died in May during the musical’s week off. Lewis was in Jamaica and Groover was in New York when they got the news.
“It was really somber, but it was also really beautiful to see us all come together,” Lewis said of returning to work after Turner died.
Groover was in the original Broadway cast of “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” and went to Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City after Turner died. The theatre is where the musical’s home on
Broadway. Lights were dimmed and a moment of silence was held for Turner.
Even more than before, there’s a responsibility to tell Turner’s story in the most respectful way possible, Groover said.
“Because we did lose our icon,” she said.