'She was a force of nature': 'Tina' musical coming to Wharton raw, real and triumphant

Tina Turner was an entertainer who clearly lived up to the phrase “bigger than life.” She was bold, brassy, sexy, loud and tough. Her style wasn’t borrowed from anyone; she was all her own. And her life of surviving spousal abuse never stopped her success.

Turner's a perfect character to write a Broadway show about.

“The minute the curtain comes up, the audience is screaming," said Roz White, who plays the singer's mother in "Tina – The Tina Turner Musial." "They see Tina and they light up. The show does it. Tina’s an icon, like Michael Jackson. And we take the audience on a ride through her life.”

Although White is both a singer and a dancer, in the pivotal role of Tina’s mother she shows off her acting chops.

“Her mother was a catalyst to what happens in her life," she said. "My role is more of an acting role that is complex and complicated. It’s juicy. I get to live in both worlds — music and theater.”

At age 4, White saw a theater dance troupe of indigenous people present a show in her school. That set her on her path. “That was it”, she exclaimed during a phone interview. “I yelled to my mother, 'I want to do THAT!'”

And she did. By age 12 in her native Washington D.C., she was a professional.  “I learned how to sing the Great American Songbook and how to dance.”

She attended the well-known Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and when she graduated in 1988, she immediately went on a national Broadway tour with “Dreamgirls,” which made a stop at Wharton Center.

Although touring the country was a big thrill for an 18 year old, she said what really made a difference was attending Howard University.

“It was a life changing experience," White said. "I was homecoming queen. I never imagined what Howard did for me. I was a musical theater major and starred in 'Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

After college, White got busy, singing jazz, gospel, blues, and house music. “I just love to perform. I’ve learned versatility. Theater is what stuck with me.”

She was a backup singer for Melba Moore and Gladys Knight and many other groups.

But she always idolized Tina (now 83) and loves playing her mother.

“Nobody doesn’t like Tina Turner," White said. "She sings gospel, blues and rock. Her instrument was her voice and body. She had her dance choreography in her head. She was a force of nature.

“It’s important for the world to see “Tina.” This story is from her mouth — raw, real, some tragedy, brassy, triumphant and inspirational.”

If you go

Tina – The Tina Turner Musial

• Where: Wharton Center

• When: April 18-23

• Tickets: Starting at $39 for adults, $25 for students. Whartoncenter.com, 1-(800)-WHARTON.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Tina Turner musical at Wharton Center Michigan State April 18-23