He’s been in Criminal Minds, Grey’s Anatomy and 90210, but Giovanni Adams is now rocking the notorious role of Ike in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. He chats with me about playing Ike, growing up in America and adjusting to life in Australia.
How does someone with such a gentle soul go about playing a violent character like Ike Turner?
Every actor has a hodgepodge of ways to get into character. I began with the music because I wanted to understand the thing, I imagined he felt proud of. People don’t realise he was literally the originator of rock and roll. He wrote the first Rock and Roll tune, called Rocket 88. It was sold to a record producer in Memphis with credit given to the singer but not Ike. Eventually, the producer Sam Phillips retained the rights and made so much money he built Sun Records where Elvis recorded. These record producers realised that black music could make more money with white voices. Without Ike Turner, there wouldn’t have been an Elvis or a Johnny Cash. Ike was also a control freak and held everyone to strict standards. When he heard Tina’s voice in a club in St Louis, he thought she was his golden goose.
Do you have to mentally escape from the character after performing?
It’s important to understand where the anger comes from and what inspired the violence – not just the brutality of it. I didn’t want to be on stage and have to go crazy in the moment for no reason. Then there’s building trust with the actors. We had a fight and intimacy coordinator for myself and all the Tinas I’m working with. There’s also a tap-in/tap-out process to make sure everyone feels safe. After a show, my own tap-out process includes journaling where I document the ways I’m different to my character. Ruva (Tina Turner) says she feels safe with me. That’s the biggest compliment.
Giovanni Adams Photo credit: Karen Song
What does Tina Turner mean to you?
She kind of feels like my mom – the idea of a black woman from humble beginnings. My mom was born on a farm in Vicksburg, Mississippi and was the first of eleven kids. She left home at sixteen to go to college and aspire to something more. Tina reminds me of that generation of black women who didn’t have all the opportunities but somehow found a way to make a beautiful life.
As a black gay man, what was your experience growing up in the USA?
I had an amazing upbringing. For my mom, education was her way out of the deep south. She had two master’s degrees by the time I was in grade school, and we were always taught to be aspirational and not think of the way the world saw us. It was more about how we saw ourselves and to be proud. Growing up, people would say negative things to me, such as calling me the N-word or a sissy, but my mom taught me to be confident and not allow anyone to take away my power. I attribute a lot to her.
“When I moved to Los Angeles I fell in love with a preacher’s son. That was my first gay relationship.”
What was your coming out like?
I was an evangelical kid, and I don’t think many black people would call themselves that now because the term has been co-opted by many Republicans. But for me, church was always a safe space. I grew up being attracted to both girls and guys, and I felt like there was something wrong with me. So, I wrote a play called Love Is A Dirty Word. It’s a solo show about coming to terms with being gay as a man and embracing the kid that I was. That story evolved after university when I moved to Los Angeles and fell in love with a preacher’s son. That was my first gay relationship. Unfortunately, he was scarred by his upbringing and struggled with meth addiction. My introduction to love was a very crazy dynamic and, in the show, I pick apart how racism and being gay followed me through life.
And you also made a short film titled Gayme On?
Yes, during Covid I was a bit lonely and isolated like most. I was back in my Los Angeles apartment after touring with Kanye West and thought I should try my hand at writing and directing. I had become obsessed with video gaming and one in particular called Marvel Contest of Champions. I was having virtual chats with guys online playing in the same team and was nervous about telling them I was a gay black man. They were blue-collar guys and turned out to be very sweet and would even flirt with me. I thought, “What if in isolation I found the love of my life through gaming?” That was the premise of Gayme On.
Giovanni Adams Photo credit: Karen Song
Do you have a favourite holiday destination in the USA?
My mom’s house! She lives in Atlanta, which was a hot place during the tumultuous election season. My mom, brother, his wife and my cute little nephew are there. But most recently, my Australian partner Daniel and I travelled to Bangkok. He loves to travel and has been to 69 countries.
What do you miss the most about America?
The weather in LA. Melbourne is a beautiful place, but it’s very temperamental with the weather. I miss the 75-degree heat. I also miss my friends. Some are trying to get out here to see the show. There’s nothing like being in a hot show and being able to celebrate afterwards with your people.
As an American living in Australia, what is one of the biggest cultural shocks? The toilet water swirling the opposite way?
Giovanni Adams as Ike Turner Photo credit: Daniel Boud
I haven’t noticed that – yet! I’d say driving on the left side of the road, but I’ve managed to navigate it. Also your greetings. I say, “Hi, how you doing?” in the Woollies supermarket and people just look at me. It must sound too over the top. I need to start saying “G’day mate!”.
Lika our Aussie blue-collar workers (the tradie).
Oh yes! In fact, I feel that Australian tradies, for the most part, are the loudest and most American feeling. Everyone else sits around quietly. Riding on a train is a culture shock too because no one talks. In America, people will insert strangers into their conversations.
“Stephen Sondheim understood the plight of being a gay man.”
Is there another theatre role you have your sights on?
I would love to play Richard II because I think he’s a larger-than-life foppish sort of mess. Watching him deal with his mortality and losing the crown is one of the most dramatic and luscious roles. In musical theatre, I’d love to be Bobby in Company. I love Stephen Sondheim. He understood the plight of being a gay man. At various times in my life, I felt like people were leaving me and moving on to do the things I couldn’t, like getting married and having kids. I was being left behind and Sondheim wrestles with this so much in that musical.
Giovanni Adams as Ike Turner and Ibinabo Jack as Zelma Bullock Photo credit: Daniel Boud
Do you have a favourite music diva?
Beyonce! I was listening to Renee Rapp talk about this the other day and she said that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but when it comes to Beyonce you can be wrong. There’s no denying, she’s one of the greatest pop sensations of our generation. The Destiny’s Child Album Writing on the Wall is very meaningful to me because I was in high school back then. It’s the only album I ever won. I called into a radio station and had to sing Say My Name over the radio.
Who’s been the greatest inspiration to your career, thus far?
Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman are people I aspired to. Then there’s Sidney Poitier. Even before I wanted to be an actor, I wanted to be like Sidney. When I saw Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? I wanted to be this beautifully poised and eloquent person. My biggest influence, however, is my friend Becca Wolff. When I didn’t know where my career was going, she read the first draft of my play Love Is A Dirty Word and explained how I could write about what loving yourself can do. Not just for me but for the world. She was also there for me when I began dating men and has supported me in every artistic venture I’ve taken.
For more: tinathemusical.com.au
Follow Giovanni on Instagram @giovanniadams
Matt with Giovanni Adams
