What it is like to play an Icon. "Tina" The Tina Turner Musical at Birmingham Hippodrome.

Tina Turner came from very humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, but her talent made her into an international superstar through her music.  In private though,  her life was not without troubles.

Defying the confines of race, age and gender, she rose to stardom, breaking rules and redefining boundaries which made her the unique and fearless woman we knew and loved.  

Her iconic hits included “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”, “The Best”, “River Deep, Mountain High”, “Proud Mary” and “Nutbush City Limits” to name but a few, all of which transformed her into the Queen of Rock and Roll and entertained audiences for over six decades. 

Elle told me all about her role and why Tina Turner was an inspiration to her. 

“This role is very challenging, but it is also one of the biggest and most rewarding roles I would ever get to play in my life,” said Elle.  “We are paying tribute to a woman who had an incredible life, and who was an amazing example not only to the music industry, but also to the women in the industry as well.”

Elle’s musical theatre pedigree is very impressive.  “I loved playing Anita in “West Side Story”,” she told me, and continued, “I loved being in “Cats” and had the opportunity to work with Gillian Lynne and Andrew Lloyd-Webber.  That was very fulfilling for me as a performer.  I could not talk about every one of my contracts and tell you why I loved it, but in every show there is a reason why.”

Despite her outstanding talent, Elle does not come from a theatrical family.  “My mother used to sing a little, but otherwise I have no idea where my talent comes from,” she said. 

“I grew up in a foster family and my foster dad was a fan of Tina Turner.  He had her CDs and I used to do concerts when I was little and I would always sing “Proud Mary”, so it was already my jam,” Elle said.

Elle has done a lot of research on Tina Turner before taking on the role.  “I read autobiographies and watched interviews with her and I still do.  Doing a  show like this it is too easy to dive into yourself as a performer and do what you want to do and sing the songs how you want to sing them, but it is always important every now and then to go and check and come back to something that is close to Tina,” she said.

“Some people think the show is a tribute or something and have no idea they would see her story.  There is so much research involved in her life and in her ways because she was so  unique.”

Elle sadly did not get to meet Tina Turner in person,  as she joined the show after she had passed away, but she told me “Our creative team worked with her and knew her and when we celebrated the anniversary of her passing everyone was very emotional.  We have the responsibility of performing this musical which is a celebration and the story of her life.”

Tina Turner’s songs are challenging.  “I would say that “Fight No More” or “We Don't Need Another Hero” are the hardest songs to sing, depending on how I feel on the day,” said Elle.  “These songs, particularly “Hero”, resonate with what is going on in the world because when I sang it for the first time last year, conflicts were already happening.  I was very touched by that.  It is such a beautiful song and a universal anthem, which talks about grief, and the hunger for peace and bringing people together.  I can get carried away with emotion when I sing it.”

“Proud Mary”, “River Deep” and “Simply the Best” are Elle’s favourites. “We are lucky to have marvellous audiences who interact with us.  “Simply The Best” is the moment where we break the fourth wall and we are in a concert and celebrating,” she said. 

The amount of energy needed to play the role of Tina is excessive.  “I approach it like a marathon,” said Elle.  “I have had to learn how to pace myself throughout the show and the run. You have to take care of your instrument, your voice.   I have to pause and concentrate on how my body is feeling. Some shows I would do without a warm up, but not this one, especially because of the responsibility of being truthful to Tina.”

“You want to be professional of course and progress throughout the show, but you can’t think “Oh today I am going to take it easy”, because she never would.”

Elle drinks a lot of water and she also runs to keep her cardio up. “I love running and it helps me to control my breathing and understand how I can carry on moving but not affect my breathing.  I have a good diet and know what I can and can’t eat and drink.  Also you have to be fit in your mental health too.” 

As we all know, Tina had a very specific way of moving on stage.  I wondered if that had been difficult to replicate.  “Not difficult, but definitely something to work on,” said Elle.  “We have an amazing choreographer who worked with Tina, who went to her house and got the steps from the queen herself.  The moves that Tina created come from her body.  These are not moves that she was taught in a dance class.  We have to observe that and feel that. She would shimmy because it is cheeky, or she would go down stairs and show her leg because she had the reputation of having long legs, so there is almost always a reason why she was doing a move and how she played with the audience.”

Elle continued, “She never actually intended to be sexy, it was just the way she was herself and she was beautiful and she had this sensuality, but was never vulgar, always elegant and graceful, but somehow people think that she is the sexiest performer of her time.”

She is also very aware that she is not only representing Tina, but also the Afro-American culture.  We go through history with her. The fashions, the technological changes, the way of interacting with people changes and there are so many things which can influence your performance.”

While Tina Turner is a favourite role, there is one other which Elle dreams of taking on.  Without any hesitation whatsoever when I asked the question, she said, “Sally Bowles.”  

“I just fell in love with the current revival of Cabaret.  This character is just so intricate and I like to play crazy ones,” she laughed.  “I can dive into their psychology; I like being extra; I like camp characters and when there is a lot of research involved. I think this character is very interesting.  I also like to play the tragic very much.”

“If I don’t get to play Sally Bowles, I will give a private concert in my living room and put it on Instagram!” she laughed, and she has invited me to join her! 

What a talented, warm lady Elle Ma-Kinga N'Zuzi is. 

“Tina” The Tina Turner Musical runs at the Birmingham Hippodrome from June 17-28.  For tickets visit birminghamhippodrome.com or call 0121 689 3000.