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“Simply the Best” Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi on stage.<\/p>\nTina Turner came from very humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, but her talent made her into an international superstar through her music. \u00a0In private though, \u00a0her life was not without troubles.<\/p>\n
Defying the confines of race, age and gender, she rose to stardom, breaking rules and redefining boundaries which made her the unique and fearless woman we knew and loved. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Her iconic hits included \u201cWhat\u2019s Love Got To Do With It?\u201d, \u201cThe Best\u201d, \u201cRiver Deep, Mountain High\u201d, \u201cProud Mary\u201d and \u201cNutbush City Limits\u201d to name but a few, all of which transformed her into the Queen of Rock and Roll and entertained audiences for over six decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Simply the Best” Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi on stage.<\/p>\n
Elle told me all about her role and why Tina Turner was an inspiration to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis role is very challenging, but it is also one of the biggest and most rewarding roles I would ever get to play in my life,\u201d said Elle. \u00a0\u201cWe are paying tribute to a woman who had an incredible life, and who was an amazing example not only to the music industry, but also to the women in the industry as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elle\u2019s musical theatre pedigree is very impressive. \u00a0\u201cI loved playing Anita in \u201cWest Side Story\u201d,\u201d she told me, and continued, \u201cI loved being in \u201cCats\u201d and had the opportunity to work with Gillian Lynne and Andrew Lloyd-Webber. \u00a0That was very fulfilling for me as a performer. \u00a0I could not talk about every one of my contracts and tell you why I loved it, but in every show there is a reason why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite her outstanding talent, Elle does not come from a theatrical family. \u00a0\u201cMy mother used to sing a little, but otherwise I have no idea where my talent comes from,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up in a foster family and my foster dad was a fan of Tina Turner. \u00a0He had her CDs and I used to do concerts when I was little and I would always sing \u201cProud Mary\u201d, so it was already my jam,\u201d Elle said.<\/p>\n
Elle has done a lot of research on Tina Turner before taking on the role. \u00a0\u201cI read autobiographies and watched interviews with her and I still do. \u00a0Doing a \u00a0show like this it is too easy to dive into yourself as a performer and do what you want to do and sing the songs how you want to sing them, but it is always important every now and then to go and check and come back to something that is close to Tina,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people think the show is a tribute or something and have no idea they would see her story. \u00a0There is so much research involved in her life and in her ways because she was so \u00a0unique.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elle sadly did not get to meet Tina Turner in person, \u00a0as she joined the show after she had passed away, but she told me \u201cOur creative team worked with her and knew her and when we celebrated the anniversary of her passing everyone was very emotional. \u00a0We have the responsibility of performing this musical which is a celebration and the story of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi as the icon whose career spanned six decades.<\/p>\n
Tina Turner\u2019s songs are challenging. \u00a0\u201cI would say that \u201cFight No More\u201d or \u201cWe Don’t Need Another Hero\u201d are the hardest songs to sing, depending on how I feel on the day,\u201d said Elle. \u00a0\u201cThese songs, particularly \u201cHero\u201d, resonate with what is going on in the world because when I sang it for the first time last year, conflicts were already happening. \u00a0I was very touched by that. \u00a0It is such a beautiful song and a universal anthem, which talks about grief, and the hunger for peace and bringing people together. \u00a0I can get carried away with emotion when I sing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProud Mary\u201d, \u201cRiver Deep\u201d and \u201cSimply the Best\u201d are Elle\u2019s favourites. \u201cWe are lucky to have marvellous audiences who interact with us. \u00a0\u201cSimply The Best\u201d is the moment where we break the fourth wall and we are in a concert and celebrating,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The amount of energy needed to play the role of Tina is excessive. \u00a0\u201cI approach it like a marathon,\u201d said Elle. \u00a0\u201cI have had to learn how to pace myself throughout the show and the run. You have to take care of your instrument, your voice. \u00a0 I have to pause and concentrate on how my body is feeling. Some shows I would do without a warm up, but not this one, especially because of the responsibility of being truthful to Tina.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to be professional of course and progress throughout the show, but you can\u2019t think \u201cOh today I am going to take it easy\u201d, because she never would.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elle drinks a lot of water and she also runs to keep her cardio up. \u201cI love running and it helps me to control my breathing and understand how I can carry on moving but not affect my breathing. \u00a0I have a good diet and know what I can and can\u2019t eat and drink. \u00a0Also you have to be fit in your mental health too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we all know, Tina had a very specific way of moving on stage. \u00a0I wondered if that had been difficult to replicate. \u00a0\u201cNot difficult, but definitely something to work on,\u201d said Elle. \u00a0\u201cWe have an amazing choreographer who worked with Tina, who went to her house and got the steps from the queen herself. \u00a0The moves that Tina created come from her body. \u00a0These are not moves that she was taught in a dance class. \u00a0We have to observe that and feel that. She would shimmy because it is cheeky, or she would go down stairs and show her leg because she had the reputation of having long legs, so there is almost always a reason why she was doing a move and how she played with the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elle continued, \u201cShe never actually intended to be sexy, it was just the way she was herself and she was beautiful and she had this sensuality, but was never vulgar, always elegant and graceful, but somehow people think that she is the sexiest performer of her time.\u201d<\/p>\n
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What a performance! <\/p>\n
She is also very aware that she is not only representing Tina, but also the Afro-American culture. \u00a0We go through history with her. The fashions, the technological changes, the way of interacting with people changes and there are so many things which can influence your performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Tina Turner is a favourite role, there is one other which Elle dreams of taking on. \u00a0Without any hesitation whatsoever when I asked the question, she said, \u201cSally Bowles.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just fell in love with the current revival of Cabaret. \u00a0This character is just so intricate and I like to play crazy ones,\u201d she laughed. \u00a0\u201cI can dive into their psychology; I like being extra; I like camp characters and when there is a lot of research involved. I think this character is very interesting. \u00a0I also like to play the tragic very much.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I don\u2019t get to play Sally Bowles, I will give a private concert in my living room and put it on Instagram!\u201d she laughed, and she has invited me to join her!\u00a0<\/p>\n
What a talented, warm lady Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi is.\u00a0<\/p>\n