What If: What’s Love Got To Do With It — The Musical

What if…”What’s Love Got To Do With It,” the 1993 movie based on the life of Tina Turner, was adapted into a musical?

Picture this. You’re seated in a Broadway theatre and, all of a sudden, “This Little Light of Mine” is sung by a beautiful choir. The spotlight then focuses on a spunky and sprightly little girl, Anna Mae (later known as the one and only Tina Turner), belting notes and dancing in a way that isn’t exactly appropriate in church. Soon after, the church grandmother calls her out. And thus begins our journey into the sensational world of the iconic Tina Turner.

“What’s Love Got To Do With It” is a semi-autobiographical account of Tina Turner, adapted from the book she co-wrote with Kurt Loder entitled “I, Tina.” The story details Turner’s life from her humble beginnings as the fiery member of her small Tennessee hometown church choir to the stylish, admired, and fiercely talented legend she came to be. In the midst of all of the success in music that she achieves, the film and book also highlight her tumultuous, volatile, and abusive relationship with her partner, Ike Turner.

The film enjoyed a good bit of success, the most notable being Academy Award nominations in the Best Actress and Best Actor categories for Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, who portrayed Tina and Ike Turner. Both actors have also graced the Broadway stage on more than one occasion. Bassett was last seen in Katori Hall‘s The Mountaintop alongside Samuel L. Jackson. She made her Broadway debut in August Wilson‘s Joe Turner’s Come & Gone. Fishburne won a Tony Award for his Broadway debut in August Wilson’s Two Trains Running. He was last seen on the Broadway stage in Thurgood, a solo show about the life of Thurgood Marshall.

But let’s return to this proposed musical adaptation. Imagine the lights and flash. Think Dreamgirls where the show is seamlessly weaving Ike and Tina’s stylized and sparkly performances with all of the backstage drama that helps to drive the story along. The musical would, of course, use all of Ike and Tina’s original songs, from the classic “Proud Mary” to the fun “Shake” to, finally, the emotionally-charged titular song, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”

Comment below with your opinions on What’s Love Got To Do With It, the musical, and share your possible dream cast!