By Brenda Hillegas
When ‘TINA – The Tina Turner Musical’ returns to Philadelphia this week, Keemar Robert Davis, a graduate of the University of the Arts, will be along for the ride. He’ll be on stage in the role of Richard, Tina Turner’s father.
For Davis, the Philadelphia engagement marks a full-circle moment, returning to the city where he studied Jazz Vocal Performance before taking his talents nationwide with one of the electrifying productions featuring Tina Turner’s story and music.
Below, he talks with Metro about his time at the University of the Arts, his responsibility of portraying a complicated figure in Tina Turner’s life, and the thrill of bringing her story to audiences every night.
Why did you choose to attend the University of the Arts?
My first school [choice] was Berkeley School of Music, and I got in, but they didn’t give me housing. University of the Arts gave me a full ride. I decided to go to University of the Arts after I visited Philadelphia. I went to one of the summer intensives where they would select a group of kids to come maybe two weeks before school, and I really enjoyed it. That was my deciding factor — like, okay, I need to be here. There were so many creatives, and at the time, the school was in the middle of Center City, which has just so much culture, and you couldn’t beat it.
Do you have a piece of advice or something you learned from that point in your life that you feel like you still carry with you now?
I think that because University of the Arts was a big melting pot of so much culture, and we were right in the middle of the city, and you gained so many friends, it’s important to keep your journey your journey as you embrace other people’s journeys. Some people will go left, some people will go right, and there are so many ideas, but you have to know what you’re called for and stick to what you know works best for you. That works through life, because there are so many shows going on, there are so many things I want to be a part of, my friends are in this and that — I have to just remember my journey and stay my course.
You play Tina’s father, Richard. Did you do any research to get to know this character better?
I think the research was, I read a lot of Tina’s biography books, specifically highlighting ‘I, Tina,’ which was a really good one. She really supported that book herself. And then just going into research of what a southern pastor was like and what the times were in that moment. My background is in church. My mom is a minister, my dad, before he passed, was the chairman of the deacon board, and my uncle is a bishop. It was nice to be able to do the research, but also pull from my background and what I already knew within me, and be able to bring that to the stage.
Most importantly, with Richard, I wanted to make sure I didn’t portray him as a mean individual. There’s a fight scene that happens involving Richard and Tina’s mom, Zelma, and I wanted to make sure that the idea of him fighting was because that’s what they knew at that time, and that he still had a soft spot because he loved Anna Mae, which is Tina Turner’s birth name. He loved his daughter and his wife, because the fight was for him to get them to stay. I wanted to make sure I portrayed a balance of this sternness, but this softness; this religion, but also this humanity.
Is there anything you found interesting or surprising about him?
You know, they talk about the Baptist side of him. But when Zelma leaves, he turns to the streets. There’s an interesting line where Zelma comes out and does a little monologue. She says, “from a preacher to a pimp.” That was interesting — the dynamics of his life.
Tina Turner is such an iconic artist. What has been the biggest challenge (or the biggest thrill) of being part of a show that honors her legacy?
It’s more of a thrill because the idea is Tina Turner. You don’t really want to mess up those details, but people highlight the big parts of her life. This show highlights the details, and it’s such a thrill and an honor to get the details correct. You want to make sure you tell the true story. We’re not just here for the music, but we’re here for the soul of the music. We want to tell where all of this came from so you can really get the big idea of who this lady was.
Can you walk us through your personal pre-show routine? How do you keep your voice and body performance-ready on tour?
Yes, I always have my nebulizer. I always have some throat coat. I do meditate and pray right before I get on stage, like when that curtain goes up. I’m on the side because I open the show with Tina and her grandmother, Gigi. I always take a knee, and I always just take a moment to just remember why I do this, and what’s important to me. I always just hope and pray that somebody gets something from this story.
Do you have a favorite Tina Turner song?
‘Simply the Best’ — it’s just so freeing, and it feels good. What such sweet words to say to somebody that you admire and you love? When I hear that song every night, and the people are standing, the lights come on and they go, “ah!” — I feel like it’s a love letter to them. You just sat here for these three hours, and you’re simply the best at this moment in this time for us. Thanks for giving us that energy back. It means a lot.
How does it feel to bring this production to Philadelphia, where your professional journey began?
I am so excited to come back to Philadelphia. Philadelphia helped me identify who I was as an artist. I had a band and created an EP with some jazz musicians in my class at the Merriam Theater. We went to an open mic, and it was a competition, unbeknownst to all of us. We won the competition to find out it was against 1,400 bands that performed through the year. That was 2012 and we did so much press, it was just a time! So Philly has a special place in my heart, because that was a place where I was able to really birth the artist Keemar. I’m thrilled to just look around.
‘TINA – The Tina Turner Musical’ will be on stage at the Miller Theater from March 10 to 15. For information and tickets, visit ensembleartsphilly.org
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UArts,
Keemar Robert Davis,
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TINA – The Tina Turner Musical,
Tina Turner,
Miller Theater