Simply the Best! Inside Opening Night of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

The chants of “Ti-na, Ti-na” pierced the air outside of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on a rainy Thursday night in Manhattan at the Broadway opening of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. iPhone-wielding fans swarmed the entrance, angling for a photo of Tina “the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll” Turner, who was flanked by longtime partner Erwin Bach on one arm and Oprah Winfrey on the other. “We love you, Tina!” screamed one at the top of their lungs. A paparazzi firestorm ensued. Turner, delighted by the pandemonium, burst into a peal of laughter.

The musician’s reception is not so surprising considering that Turner’s position in the spotlight never waned during her many decades in show business.

Though she struggled to find success for 30 years, she would eventually record and release the chart-topping hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and the rest was history. She would go on to command a commercial success and respect that many deemed impossible for a female solo artist of a certain age. Turner’s high-kicking artistry, out-to-there hair, and head-turning figure have since made her an unforgettable presence in rock ’n’ roll music.

There to celebrate Turner and her new biographical musical were the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, Spike Lee, and Martha Stewart. On the red carpet, Turner was swathed in a flesh-color dress smothered in spangly crystals—a preview of what was to come.

A sartorial display of show-stopping sequins and thigh-skimming skirts continued onstage; Adrienne Warren (in a star-making turn as the show’s titular diva) appeared every inch the lion-maned songstress, thanks in no small part to her own powerhouse vocals. The electrifying song-and-dance had the audience on their feet—and kept them there—for an encore of “Proud Mary.” Dressed in a tiny, fringy frock, Warren cooed: “We nevah, evah do anything nice and easy. We always do it nice and rough!” That’s when Turner herself made her way to the stage.

After praising the production for turning her life’s “poison into medicine,” she held up a manicured finger and addressed the audience: “As I came in this evening, there was a wonderful applause for me and I thank you for that. That was really sweet.”

The Tina Turner tunes continued at the Jazz at Lincoln Center for the after-party. Because to borrow a phrase from Tina Turner, they’re simply the best.