Review:+Tina’s+Boulevard

Mixed feelings. That is how I describe my experience with this show. For years, I have anticipated this show coming to Denver. As a lifelong fan of Tina Turner, I couldn’t wait to experience her energy once again, especially since her passing; her last concert tour that ran through Denver was the most magical concert of my life. Yet Tina – The Tina Turner Musical is much more than a fantasy ride through the flashy fun and fabulous music we all enjoy. Tina is an intense depiction of the real person behind the Tina Turner stage persona – Anna Mae Bullock. I was not ready for the emotional toll that journey would take. Her decades of suffering at the hands of so many who should have loved her, the intersection of racism and misogyny and brutality she experienced, make this show hard to watch. Fantasy collides with reality; how can you relax and enjoy the performer when you know that person you love is suffering?