JADAR

With Tina: The Tina Turner Musical in Manchester over the holiday season, we sat down with one of the stars, Gemma Sutton, who plays Rhonda Graam, Tina’s devoted long-time assistant, manager and friend.

When we first meet your character, Rhonda, the impression is not entirely pleasant. From the audience’s perspective, it almost looks as if she has slept with Ike to get the job. However, as the show develops, we see that Rhonda is actually a close friend of Tina’s and faithful to her. How do you personally feel about this character?

I think Rhonda Graham was a wonderful woman. She was incredibly devoted to Tina and served her, in many ways, throughout her life. She admired Tina enormously and had huge respect for her. Above all, she wanted Tina to flourish, shine, and thrive.
Rhonda met Tina and Ike when she was in her early twenties. She had probably seen them perform and was completely blown away by what Tina could do. Rhonda herself could never do what Tina did, so there was no jealousy at all — just a desire to help in any way she could.

Regarding that moment when we first meet Rhonda: she is interviewing to become the road manager, and Ike tries to take advantage of the situation — or at least attempts to. I like to think that he tried, but that Rhonda stopped it before it went further. That’s how I make sense of it, because we don’t truly know what happened in real life. I’ve read many biographies and accounts, and, as so often with the things that we read, there’s so many different versions of events.

One thing I read, which was horrifying but believable, is that Rhonda lived with Tina and Ike while she was managing them. Ike was abusing Tina physically and emotionally, and I read that he also took out his violence on Rhonda. It’s hard to comprehend what kind of man he was. And yet, Rhonda stayed by Tina, which is just an extraordinary display of loyalty and devotion.

One of the most touching moments for me as an audience member is when Rhonda steps away as Tina’s manager but remains her friend. It is the scene where Tina receives the offer to go to London. From an actor’s perspective, how does it feel to perform such an emotionally charged scene?

It really is a beautiful depiction of female friendship. I feel it very strongly every time we perform it. The show is very well directed, so we are always deeply connected to what we’re saying and feeling on stage.
We have different actresses playing Tina, and each one brings something different. As an actor, doing that scene every night, I discover new emotional layers depending on who I’m performing with. They both show different sides of Tina.

Rhonda understands Tina completely and she isn’t afraid to speak her mind. In that moment, leaving is incredibly difficult for her. She truly believes she’s doing what’s best for Tina. From her point of view, Roger, who offered Tina to go to London to record, is a young man with little experience, so why should he be the one to take Tina forward?

But at the same time, Rhonda can’t help being impressed by him. He talks passionately about Tina, about hearing her sing, about following her career. Rhonda recognises something familiar in him, that same belief in Tina’s talent. It’s a moment where two truths exist at once: wanting to stay and support someone and knowing you have to let them go so they can fly.

What surprised me most was how dramatic the show is being full of energy and incredible music at the same time. In my opinion, it portrays deeply painful experiences. If you were giving advice to someone seeing the show for the first time, what would you say?

I’d say, go in with an open mind and an open heart. Let yourself be taken on Tina’s journey. All the songs you know and love are there. They might sound a little different, but they’re woven beautifully into the drama. As jukebox musicals go, I genuinely think this is one of the best, because it’s Tina’s catalogue, and those songs are incredible. Sometimes they fit the story so perfectly that you forget they weren’t written for the show.

You get everything: a powerful story, insight into Tina’s life, and themes like racism, sexism, ageism, and domestic violence, but also triumph, resilience, and joy at the end.

Watching the show, I kept wondering: did Tina’s life shape the songs, or do the songs simply mirror her life so perfectly?

You do tend to write what you know. I think it’s a combination. Tina worked with many different people, and even Rhonda wrote a song that appeared as a B-side. But those experiences, they’re all there in the music.

The physical and vocal demands of the show are enormous. What does your preparation routine look like?

I love routine. Every day is pretty much the same so that I know I’m in the right mental and physical state. About an hour and a half before the show, the company comes together for a physical and vocal warm-up. It’s not just about warming up as it’s also a chance to check in with each other.
Personally, what has transformed my vocal longevity is straw warm-ups. You sing through a straw, which gently warms the muscles in your throat without strain. It allows minimal effort for maximum sound, helps extend range, and prevents pushing. I do it at home, in the car, even while getting ready, and it’s quiet, which is perfect before auditions.

Routine helps you check in with your body. You notice small things, maybe your knee feels off today, and you adjust. And yes, vitamins and sleep – all the boring stuff that people usually ignore really works.

You’ve played a wide range of roles in theatre and television. Was there a role that felt like a turning point in your career?

Yes! Gypsy at the Savoy Theatre in the West End with Imelda Staunton playing Mama Rose, and that was over ten years ago now. In the show, Mama Rose has two daughters, June and Louise. June is the obvious star child, the one being pushed forward to lead the act, while Louise is the quieter daughter who stays in the background and later becomes Gypsy Rose Lee – the burlesque star.

I started my contract playing June and finished the run in playing Louise. That transition was entirely thanks to Imelda Staunton. When it became clear that the actress playing Louise was leaving, it was Imelda who suggested that I would be right for the role and that I should take it on.
We rehearsed together in her dressing room. Obviously, during the day she needed to rest and recuperate, but in order to get me ready for the show, we had to find time together. So every afternoon at half past four, I would knock on her dressing room door and we’d rehearse for about half an hour. It was just a magical experience.

When I was playing June, my song involved being on pointe, doing baton twirling, cartwheels, splits, and all this while singing. It was an extraordinary time. And every night, there was always someone wonderful in the audience watching. Every performance truly felt like an event.

The lights from the audience side are usually very bright and during the show you probably can’t see much beyond the lights. But at the end, when everyone cheers and applauds, do you actually get a chance to see the audience’s faces?

Absolutely. People always say the audience is like an extra cast member, and that’s honestly why I love theatre so much. Every night is different, for so many reasons, but mainly because the energy of the audience changes every single performance. At the beginning of the week, audiences are typically a bit quieter. It’s the start of the working week; people have to get up early in the morning. As we move towards the weekend, they tend to become more vocal and louder. But we also know that quieter audiences are just as brilliant; they’re simply listening more. 

In terms of seeing them at the end, I can’t tell you how much energy that gives us. One thing about theatre that could be seen as hard is the repetition as you’re doing the same show every night, and you have to keep that energy and freshness alive. What really helps me is thinking about the fact that for the audience, this is the first time they’re seeing the show. It’s a special occasion. You’re giving someone an extraordinary experience for the very first time.

One of my favourite moments in any show is when you hear the audience take a collective intake of breath. For example, when Ike says something absolutely dreadful to Tina. Or when people shout out at certain moments. There’s a point towards the end of the first half when Tina is at her absolute wit’s end, and she picks herself up. Someone offers her a key and you hear people shout, “Yeah, Tina!” They’re so taken in by the story, and that’s such a wonderful thing.

You can catch Gemma Sutton in Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, which runs at Palace theatre Manchester until January 3 and tours the UK until April 4, before transferring to Theatre 11 Zürich, Switzerland (the country where Tina spent the latter part of her life) from April 14 to May 3.