The other Tina, Gaia Aikman, sings you towards the rainbow
So I would go to see Tina, the musical, one more time. The fourth time. This time to watch Gaia Aikman in the role of Tina. I had already received a corrective nudge from producer Stage Entertainment when I referred to Gaia as the substitute for Nyassa. Nyassa Alberta is indeed the main Tina, but the role is so demanding that it cannot possibly be played by one person eight times a week, which is why there are multiple Tinas. And they will blow you away and lift you towards the rainbow just as much as Nyassa, I was assured. I was genuinely looking forward to the Utrecht Beatrix Theater, because I love this musical. But whether I would find it just as good as with Nyassa, I doubted. Finding someone with her ‘voice’ is about as difficult as finding your Hermès earring back on the beach of Wijk aan Zee, but hey, we gave it the benefit of the doubt.
The audience was excited. They were already clapping eagerly to the steaming beat of ‘Simply the best’, with which the show opens. Gaia's back was just as muscular as Nyassa's, and despite the fact that Nyassa physically really resembles Tina, Gaia became Tina for me after a few scenes. Her eyes cried just as hard as her voice as she kept singing while Ike cheated on her with other women. Even her fingers told a story. They found their way into the hand of Erwin, who eventually became her great love, they caressed her sons whom she kept hidden behind her back to protect him from Ike's wandering hands. Gaia conquers the stage, merges with the band. She seems just as happy to see the audience as we are to admire her. You see a stage animal and that's not so strange. When I look to the left, I see my girls. My youngest is crawling a bit against me, my older one smiles softly when she sees me rubbing my eyes with my fingers again. Despite the fact that I am seeing this musical for the fourth time now, it still touches me. Maybe even more.
Gaia Aikman is not just any musical star. She was – and is – the only person who played both the young Nala in The Lion King and was cast years later for the adult Nala. She performed in the West End, the Mecca of Musical Land, spun chairs on The Voice, and trained body, voice, and mind at the Lucia Marthas Academy. Aside from her singing and dancing skills (which I rate both a solid 9.5), I found her acting intensely good. Her speaking voice, her posture. It never became silly or overacted, but flowed. I even suspect that in the wings, where she prepares for the next scene, she is still Tina and not Gaia.
The return journey followed a now tried-and-true post-Tina recipe: googling and searching for the songs. Has anyone ever looked up who the receptionist is that offered the escaped Tina a room in his hotel without money? And oh, Tina and her manager Rhonda Graam indeed remained friends their whole lives, and oh, how sad: Rhonda passed away last year. Meanwhile, my youngest asks if Tina is really still married to Erwin Bach (relief after my confirmation) and she sighs that ‘Aik’ could have been better named ‘Aikel’.
As I drive the car into our little park, I still ask the question. Who did we find better: Nyassa or Gaia? We can't agree. Or can we? A very strong ex aequo, meaning both equally fabulously fantastic.
Do you want to go to Tina too? I highly recommend it because oh so easy to reach by public transport and car and one of the best musicals I have ever seen, then you can order your ticket here.
Image Gaia Aikman: Roy Beusker
