"Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” a musical based on the life of one of the greats of rock and roll, is being performed on Broadway.  

Stepping into the heels of rock and roll icon Tina Turner may just be one of the toughest jobs on Broadway.

"It continues to be something that I have to continue working at and training for,” says Nkeki Obi-Melekwe.

Obi-Melekwe is on stage nearly continuously throughout the two and a half hours of the musical.

“I have to make sure that I meditate a lot so that Tina's trauma for Act One, the earlier part of her life, so that I don't have the residue of her experience left on me or carry her trauma,” says Obi-Melekwe.

The musical tells Turner's story from her difficult childhood, her first success with music partner and then husband Ike Turner, and the domestic violence she endured during their relationship. Cast member Nick Rashad Burroughs took over the role of Ike last week.

“There's humanity that our show tells you about this man and why he was the way he was and what the world did to him to make him become that way,” says Burroughs. “But he's also a big part of the storytelling to show what Tina survived."  

After divorcing Ike, Tina became a superstar. The musical follows her life through her 1980s comeback. 

Obi-Melekwe was already a veteran in the role of Tina Turner before coming to Broadway. She played the title role in the London production in 2019.

The musical is offering two for one tickets to select performances through Feb. 11 as part of Broadway Week, which this year was extended to nearly a month.