When Tina Turner inducted Phil Spector into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, she performed an electrifying rendition of River Deep – Mountain High.
Accompanied by Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder, and with a sweat towel flung over her shoulder, Turner delivered the kind of powerful, embodied performance for which she is so beloved.
The song was co-written by Spector, along with Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, and is the title track of Turner's sixth studio album, released in 1966 with then-husband and collaborator Ike. Turner recorded the track solo, at Spector's insistence – a move that foreshadowed her professional and romantic split from the abusive Ike 10 years later, and set the stage for her remarkable solo career.
Spector was known for his perfectionism (related: not a nice guy), and drilled Turner in their recording sessions. When Rolling Stone ranked River Deep – Mountain High at number 33 in its 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, Turner recalled: "I must have sung that [song] 500,000 times. I was drenched with sweat. I had to take my shirt off and stand there in my bra to sing."
The Turners were inducted into the Hall of Fame by Spector in 1991, under Ike & Tina Turner, while River Deep – Mountain High was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, along with Etta James's At Last and The Jackson 5's I Want You Back.
Suffice to say, the song is a banger – and one that changed the course of Ruva Ngwenya's life.
The 30-year-old Zimbabwean Australian is set to play Turner in the upcoming Australian premiere of Tina – the Tina Turner Musical, opening at Sydney's Theatre Royal this month.
Produced in association with Tina Turner, and premiering in London's West End in 2018, the show tells the story of Turner's life and career, soundtracked by a stonking catalogue of her music over nearly five decades.
Ngwenya fell in love with Turner's music at 15, when a particularly persistent drama teacher encouraged ("forced", Ngwenya stresses) her to perform in the school's production of Leader of the Pack, a jukebox musical about songwriter Ellie Greenwich, who co-wrote many iconic 60s hits with Spector, including River Deep – Mountain High.
Fortuitously, Ngwenya was cast as Turner, performing that song as the showstopper.
"This was the first time I'd ever been in a musical on stage, with lights and costumes," Ngwenya recalls.
"I blitzed it."
Ngwenya had always loved singing but a stage career seemed unfathomable to the then-15-year-old. She was a "sporty kid" and had always pictured herself becoming a netballer.
"I don't think I really thought that I could be a singer, I just loved singing. I loved Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston … But I don't think I understood that it was something I could actually do," she says.
Performing River Deep – Mountain High on stage changed that.
Now, she gets to sing the song eight times a week, playing the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll herself.
From 'sporty kid' to stage star
Ngwenya was born in Essendon in north-west Melbourne, and grew up in public housing, living mostly with her single mum in Ivanhoe.
She describes her childhood as community-oriented and joyful.
"I grew up around a lot of aunties and uncles and cousins, [going to] a lot of weekend parties with other Africans in the community and other Zimbabweans," she says.
Ngwenya's full name is Ruvarashe, which means "God's flower" in Shona, a Bantu language spoken in Zimbabwe. "But Ruva is fine," she says.
"There was a lot of speaking in Shona [in my childhood], which is why I picked up the language — I had a lot of aunties who refused to speak English and English wasn't allowed in their houses."
Ngwenya was also surrounded by music from a young age.
"Africans love music. It's a huge part of our culture, and it's intrinsically in a lot of us. We all have pretty good ears and are able to harmonise and sing just because we can, not because it's something we've been taught," she says.
"My dad used to play Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, and all the African artists. Music was always around."
After Ngwenya's stage awakening in Leader of the Pack, her drama teacher (the persistent one) encouraged her to audition for the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS); she got in, and transferred for years 11 and 12.
That's when she began seriously considering music as a career.
"I was surrounded by prodigy students: dancers, ballerinas, pianists, opera singers – just incredible students of the arts.
"That is when the shift really [happened] and I said, 'I want to be a singer.'"
Catching her big break
Ngwenya started a band and began gigging around Melbourne, playing jazz bars like Bennetts Lane and Cherry.
"[We were] 16, and literally just kids just doing these gigs. No one was there, just our parents.
"At first, [I thought], 'I'm going to be a jazz star,' and then I realised that no one pays to go see jazz," Ngwenya says laughing.
Her big break came in 2013, when she was approached through Facebook by a casting agent who invited her to audition for the Australian production of The Lion King.
"At the time, I didn't know much about musical theatre. I was really fresh … but it ended up being the biggest gig, and one of the best moments of my life."
Ngwenya was cast as Shenzi, one of the three hyenas.
"That gig really catapulted me into musical theatre … and really set an extraordinarily high standard for me with my career," she says.
Since then, Ngwenya's racked up credits in Dusty, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, We Will Rock You and Moulin Rouge! The Musical. She was also a contestant on season six of The Voice, and writes and records her own music (she's produced four singles and an EP titled Humble Brag, released in 2018).
But Ngwenya's experience with The Lion King has been her most treasured to date, in no small part because of the genuine diversity of the cast.
"Our cast was filled with people like me, who had no idea what musical theatre was; some had been in musical theatre for years and had agents; some had come from New Zealand, some from the ghettos of South Africa.
"It was just such a raw and true representation of POC [person of colour] talent."
'Two different worlds'
The Lion King was a positive foray into theatre for Ngwenya, but as a Black performer, she's had discomforting experiences on other shows since – particularly when she has been the only person of colour in the company.
"I've been very fortunate to be in a lot of shows in Australia and part of amazing, beautiful casts, but it's really sucked sometimes when it was just me, dealing with, 'Oh, my body doesn't fit in this costume and they have to change it, and now I'm feeling fat.' To then go home and have your auntie say, 'You're looking too skinny!'
"There are two different worlds that you're living in when you're a Black performer, where in one world you're this, in one world you're that, and [you're asking] 'Where do you fit and how do you celebrate yourself comfortably?'"
Ngwenya describes the feeling of "cultural disconnect" in moments that go unnoticed by non-POC cast and crew, such as the need for culturally-specific hair preparation or prayer breaks.
"It's this silent, systemic racism that is so subtle and nuanced [that] half the people in the building don't even understand what you're talking about," she says.
"They're little things but they all add up to the one Black girl in this cast of white people feeling like an alien, and like she [has to go] home and do an extra two hours of silent prep to get herself ready to fit in at work."
Over the last decade performing in mainstage musicals in Australia, Ngwenya has experienced a disconnect between what she describes as an outward celebration of diversity by some companies and their internal dynamics.
"I don't want to throw any shows under the bus … Being the only one [POC] is really powerful, but it can also be quite destructive. You don't want to be the only one in the building," she says.
"We're getting there though, I really need to say that: We are getting there."
Becoming Tina
Until now, The Lion King has remained Ngwenya's most affirming professional experience.
"[But] I think for the first time, there's a real rival with Tina for so many reasons, including those of inclusivity and diversity — but also because it's just stretching me beyond anything I thought I could do," she says.
Ngwenya describes the eight-month-long audition process for Tina as "gruelling".
"I did about 12 rounds of auditions and they were really intense. You're dancing, you're singing, you're acting — they really required everything of me.
"I didn't think I was going to book it [the show], and then as I kept progressing and the material got harder … I really found myself pushing and digging deep to find the actor in me."
Tina will be Ngwenya's first lead role, after 10 years of performing in musicals.
"I've had a very fun journey being in ensembles and understudying. It's humbling and it's really hard work, but I think it has all built up my character to get me to where I am now," she reflects.
"I've had time in the industry to work at it and perfect my craft, and now I've been offered this life-changing opportunity. It just feels like perfect timing."
Speaking to ABC Arts in the final week of rehearsals, Ngwenya is focused and upbeat.
"I've learnt a lot about resilience and the power of spirituality, and how she [Turner] was able to harness her spirituality to overcome so much pain and trauma.
"She just proves that your mind needs to be a fortress if you're going to overcome adversity, and so I take that on when dealing with a really hard role like this: I need to have a strong mind, a strong will, and the ability to keep going," says Ngwenya.
Like Turner, who was raised Baptist and practises Buddhism, Ngwenya considers herself a spiritual person. She grew up in a Christian family and also believes in self-actualisation.
"It's not manifesting!" she clarifies, laughing. "I believe you have to do the work. You have to face the difficulties life throws you head on and chip away at them."
Spirituality has become a point of connection to Turner in preparing for the role, she says.
"I'm bringing my own soul and my own musical intuition … and my ability to interpret the music. I think that is meaningful and powerful to an audience – and that's me, that's not something you can be taught how to do.
"Everyone interprets it [the music] differently, and that's the beauty of artists: They're able to create magic out of the same song we've heard a million times."
When the Australian production was announced, Turner, who is now 83, sent a message of support to the cast, echoing Ngwenya's sentiments.
"She said, 'I'm really excited for Ruva to take on the role of Tina; I'm sure she's going to bring her own soul to the role," Ngwenya recalls, paraphrasing.
"It was nice to have her mention me and say, 'Girl, do what you gotta do with the role because it's yours now.'"
Tina – the Tina Turner Musical runs at Theatre Royal Sydney until October 1.
