A New Ike for Tina

Giovanni Adams is a fresh face on Australia’s theatre stages, having stepped into the role of Ike Turner in Tina - The Tina Turner Musical. Grace Cooper speaks to Adams about his first big break down under, and to Ruva Ngwanya, who has returned to her hometown of Melbourne after more than a year of touring as Tina.

Giovanni Adams was born and raised in Mississippi, the same state Ike Turner grew up in. A strong family connection to culture and religion is what got him into performing.

“The black church especially is a very performative space. The music and the exuberance; a lot of my uncles were pastors, and my grandmother would have me going to church.’’

This journey and passion for performing arts allowed a platform for Adams to express himself. 

“Around 2016, I was experiencing a lot of different changes in my life. Our country was undergoing a series of changes and there was a lot of social unrest. I started to look at what that looked like in my own personal life.

“At the time I was coming out to my family. I had only dated women, and I had fallen in love with a first guy that I had a crush on, who was working on a play with me. That play became Love is a Dirty Word, the first production I wrote that became a play, and it did well.”

Love is a Dirty Word opened many opportunities for Adams; through the production of this play he became acquainted with people who worked at the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Soon after, Adams was invited to teach classes at this journalism school. His focus was on the power of personal stories in writing and video reporting. 

The writers’ strike in America at the time made it difficult for Adams to get creative arts opportunities in Los Angeles, so he made the decision to move to Australia to be closer to his partner after Covid-19.

“I was bartending at the Australian Open. That was my first job in Melbourne. And then I booked a commercial with my agents here, which was fun. Then Tina was the second job that I booked.

“My agent, Dase, was looking at a number of projects for consideration, and we were just so excited because Tina has always been a huge favourite of my mum’s. It was really cool because I'm from the same place as Ike Turner, who I play in the show.”

Adams’ mum, who was in Australia at the time of the auditions, assisted him throughout the process.

“It was very meaningful for her to sit with me as I read lines and to give me her two cents in terms of how I was portraying my accent. For Australian audiences she felt like I was cleaning up my accent a little bit too much.”

And after he landed the role, Adams says, “It was really special to be able to call my mom up and be like, ‘Hey mom, remember I was auditioning for this role. Yeah, I got it!’

“Getting cast in this musical was a bit like coming back to the theatre as well; working with a company of actors telling an amazing story has made me feel like at I’m home, like here in Australia. 

“Because of this show, I've been able to see so many different parts of Australia, which has also been amazing.”

I asked Giovanni why he thinks, as a person of colour, and someone who's from the same state as Ike, that its important he play this character. 

“I'll be sitting in a cafe in Melbourne with my partner, and I will hear an artist from home, who's Black and I'll be the only Black person there.

“I think what's so amazing is that through this show, Australian audiences have an opportunity to learn a bit more about a black artist who a lot of Australians love, though they may not know about her origins. By telling Tina's story, an artist that a lot of Australians know through the Nutbush and through her amazing campaign with the NRL, you learn a bit more about her.

“You learn about the things that she had to go through and the people that supported her and the people who tried to hold her back. Through learning her story, learning more about her culture, you can have a deeper appreciation for her music.”

Adams and Ruva Ngwenya, who plays Tina, connected through their common experiences and backgrounds.

“When I first met him, we just sat down and had really good conversations about life and what it's like being you, and being black, and being a performer, and moving to Australia,” Ngwenya said. 

“It was really just about getting to know each other and very quickly realizing that we had very similar experiences.”

Adams started playing the role of Ike Turner in Brisbane and will continue for the rest of the season, with Melbourne being the last city of the tour. 

Ruva Ngwenya is touring to her hometown for the final leg of the tour.

“That's where the journey began for me; that's where I started performing. So, to be a star and be in a show in my hometown is the bucket list for me.”

Tina is a huge role for Ngwenya, and keeping herself show fit for an extended national tour is a key focus for her.

“The routine I take every day - When do I talk? When do I stop talking? What do I do before a show? After a show? What can I do outside of a show? My whole life is kind of geared toward the show.

“That means that I'm able to perform like a machine, like an Olympic athlete. I create a schedule that works and stick to it.”

Both Ngwenya and Adams adore this show and believe its importance has increased after the passing of Tina Turner in Switzerland, shortly after the Sydney opening. 

“We now have a new purpose in that we honour her every day on stage, and we celebrate her life.  And you're performing something that they had written themselves and had a hand in, so it really highlights that you're doing something for her memory and for her legacy,” said Ngwanya.

“I just hope that people come to see the show and that they have a deeper appreciation for Tina and in some way leave feeling inspired about facing the challenges in their own lives, knowing that they can overcome those challenges and that they leave dancing and smiling,” said Adams.

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