Tina Turner Musical to headline entertainment at NRL Grand Final
Tina Turner famously cemented her relationship with NRL by performing at the 1993 Grand Final. Three decades on, Tina the Musical will recreate the performance.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The NRL is winding back the clock at this year’s grand final, with a fitting tribute to the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” – and rugby league – Tina Turner.
Sydney will host the decider on October 1, with more than 80,000 fans expected to pack out Accor Stadium at Homebush.
And the NRL has now revealed the pre-match entertainment will feature the stars of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, to mark 30 years since the rock legend’s iconic performance at the 1993 grand final.
The tribute will take on extra significance after Turner’s passing in May this year at the age of 83.
“It’s really cool to contribute to her legacy in such a massive way,” said Ruva Ngwenya, who opened the Australian musical as Tina in May.
“It’s definitely one of the biggest stages I’ve ever performed on, so it’s a huge gift that she’s given me and that I get to give back to her fans and Aussie audiences.”
Turner, who retired from performing in 2009, famously fronted a number of Australian Rugby League campaigns from 1989 and into the early ’90s, including alongside Jimmy Barnes and players such as Wayne Pearce, with her track The Best becoming a much-loved anthem for the sport.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said: “This collaboration is a perfect way for rugby league to pay tribute to Tina and everything she did for our game.
The musical cast will perform some of Turner’s biggest hits, including Simply The Best, Nutbush, and Proud Mary.
The organisers of State of Origin were panned in July for their choice of New Zealand band Six60 as pre-match entertainment ahead of game three in Sydney.
The pop group didn’t quite hit the high note with crowds, who are accustomed to Aussie heavy rock bands like Shannon Noll and The Living End.
“Seriously how is this getting the crowd pumped??” one impassioned fan tweeted.
“The NRL haven’t arranged good entertainment since the great Tina Turner!”
Turner, who formally retired in 2009, famously fronted an NRL campaign alongside Jimmy Barnes with her track The Best in the early 1990s.
The song remains an anthem for the sport.
Ngwenya-as-Tina also recreated one of the seminal NRL photo shoots, atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The prestigious musical, which tells the story of Turner’s life, has been a smash hit at Sydney’s Theatre Royal, where it is playing until the end of the year.
Due to overwhelming demand, Ngwenya and the cast will tour Australia throughout 2024.
“Tina set the tone and she set the legacy, and it means a lot that I get to go back and do it all again 30 years later. A sporting crowd is all new territory for me. I hope the energy will be good. I’m sure it’ll be huge. It’s something I will never forget for the rest of my life,” Ngwenya said.
The entertainment line-up on Grand Final day also includes two performances from Australian rock band, King Stingray.
The five-piece from the Northern Territory, who perform in both English and Yolŋu Matha languages, will deliver the NRLW Grand Final pre-game show, before returning to the stage in the build up to the NRL Grand Final.
Join the conversation
Lisa Wilkinson returns to Sydney social scene with Bondi lunch
She’s intentionally kept an extremely low profile following her highly publicised court case against Bruce Lehrmann but TV personality Lisa Wilkinson is out and about again, looking fresh and relaxed.
Read more
Transformation to animated character still fascinates ScarJo
One of the most recognisable faces in Hollywood, Scarlett Johansson has voiced numerous big budget Hollywood animations, now including Transformers One.
Read more