Meghan Dawson (Photo Provided).
“Louisiana born and fed.”
That’s the Instagram bio for actor, singer and dancer Meghan Dawson — an homage to the state, culture and spirit that has fueled her as she takes on her biggest stage role yet: Tina Turner. You read that right, Dawson is playing one of the most iconic performers in history in the musical dedicated to Turner’s legendary life in “TINA – The Tina Turner Musical,” which is playing a one-week engagement at Cadillac Palace Theatre from June 3 to 8.
When asked about how growing up in Gray, Louisiana, an hour southwest of New Orleans, helped shape her, she said, “I grew up with a lot of blues and bluegrass and country and rock and gospel— truly a gumbo mixing pot. Coming from all of those different types of music really lent itself for me to be open and creative and able to use all of my tools in all of the different styles of music that make theater music.”
Drawing from multiple influences and creating a sound uniquely her own, the same attribute that made Tina Turner such a singular force.
On the cusp of making her Broadway national tour debut with Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Dawson opened up to The Chicago Defender about what it means to embody the pop star’s legacy, reflecting on the emotional weight of Tina’s story and the joy of performing some of the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll’s greatest hits.
Tacuma Roeback: This is your Broadway national tour debut. Can you talk about when you got the call for this role?
Meghan Dawson: It was thrilling. It all happened very fast. I had initially submitted for this in November, and then they messaged me back to say, ‘Hey, we’re interested, but we’re breaking for the holiday.’
So I didn’t hear anything until January, and then, once I heard from them, it was about a week, a week and a half of boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, ‘Hey, you ready to get on the road?’ And, you know, I have my moment of ‘Ah,’ and then it was, ‘You know what, let’s go!’ Let’s go—hit the ground running.’
Roeback: Do you remember where you were? What were you doing when you got that message?
Dawson: I’ve been in the business now almost 10 years, and sometimes you just know, that’s what I’ll say. Sometimes, you just know. I actually have a picture after my final audition. I was talking to a friend, and I snapped us a selfie because I felt it. I was like, ‘I think I got that.’ And then maybe we were told that we would hear something by the evening or the next day. The casting director actually texted me, maybe, like, three hours later to be like, ‘Hey, I don’t know when they’re gonna send the email, but I’m letting you know you got it.’
I said, ‘Oh, all right,’ because that was probably one of the quickest turnarounds of a decision that I had ever experienced. So, yeah, I was excited, but I didn’t have a ton of time because, you know, going on the road and being in New York, I said, ‘Okay, I gotta figure out my apartment. I gotta figure out my survival job. I gotta put everything in its place.’ But I was ready. I was ready.
Roeback: You’re stepping into the stilettos of the great Tina Turner. What’s it like playing such a phenomenal woman each night?
Dawson: It’s an honor. It’s a blessing. I think one of the most special and important things about me taking this role is that there was never a moment where I felt like I wasn’t good enough for the role, or that imposter syndrome that people speak about.
I’ve experienced it in other situations, but something about this role in this story, I felt that it was given to me at the perfect time. I felt I had everything within me to tell the story to the best of my ability and that I could really bring myself to Tina. So it was—it’s a huge undertaking. It is a marathon of a show.
It is an incredible story. But for me, I genuinely get off stage every night saying, ‘I don’t know how I did that?’ And I mean, that leads into my training and my faith ultimately. But it is truly an honor that my body and my voice and my mind truly carry me every night. Because once that downbeat starts, I ain’t here. That is the magic of theater and of truly, I believe, you know, Tina’s spirit—that I’ve never been led astray. It’s always been hand in hand. Let’s go.
Roeback: Can you talk about navigating the pain in Tina’s story and those emotionally heavy scenes?
Dawson: Well, to start at the root of it, the cast is phenomenal, and they’re genuinely good people. I’ve done this for a little minute now. It’s very easy to make something work on a stage, but when I came in, the company had already been together since September. I joined in February, so to be able to sit down with [actor Sterling Baker-McClary, who plays Ike Turner], who’s done the show with multiple different Tinas. We were in a rehearsal, and before we even stepped in the scene, he asked me, ‘So what do you think their relationship was? How did you see it?’ Because every [actor playing] Tina is different. Everybody’s interpretation is different. I think the way that I interpreted their partnership was very different from what he had experienced before. But it allowed us to really sit and talk and dive deep into the humanity of two people that came from similar but different backgrounds. They had very different experiences.
Tina met Ike when Ike was relatively established in the music business, so she came under someone who knew what to do. Knew what he was talking about, and she was very green. So, to come under someone who had already had these experiences, and to be roped in as, you know, a partner—not a puppet—to be able to bring that story to life, the good and the bad, with a performer who is extremely poignant and extremely tapped in… because when you’re dealing with a different lead, multiple times a week, because the show is so big…you have to stay on.
To have an actor that has your back that says, ‘Even in these fight scenes, you lean on me. You need to put this weight on me and know that I have you.’ And [Baker-McClary] has been like that since day one, whether it’s in the physicality or in just the scene itself. It just speaks to who he is as an actor. Ultimately, he makes the job very, very easy.
Roeback: Favorite Tina Turner song you love to perform?
Dawson: My favorite song to perform in the show is “Simply the Best” because the music direction, the background in the ensemble, they’re actually singing in a muffled way, so that it literally sounds like the 180,000 she was performing for. And, it’s magical.
Roeback: Favorite food—and favorite Chicago food?
Dawson: I haven’t tried any Chicago food yet, so I put a pin in that. My favorite food is either a good lasagna or a good pot roast.
Roeback: Dream duet—any singer. Who are your favorite singers?
Dawson: So, similarly to Tina, I gravitate a lot towards male singers. I’m an old soul too—so I love Sam Cooke. I love Teddy Pendergrass. I love…Dennis Edwards. I love stuff like that. I grew up modeling my voice after instruments, trumpets and horns and things like that. My dream duet partner probably would be Tina Turner, because I’ve been told my whole life, and just the way that I perform, that you got to find somebody to keep up with. When you think about a rock star—especially a female rock star—yeah, I think that would just be incredible. She’d give me a run for my money.
Roeback: What can audiences expect here in Chicago when they see Tina: The Tina Turner Musical?
Dawson: A ride. Truly, the ride of your life. It’s not your regular musical. When Tina was asked, ‘You want to do a musical about your life?’ She said, ‘Why? Why would I want to do that?’ This is a rock star.
She did everything in her power to make this show as captivating, as thrilling, as on the edge of your seat as her rock shows were. A lot of people don’t know that she was alive and had a hand in creating this show. This is Tina’s hand. So this ain’t just your regular, yeah, everybody wins in the end. This is a show. All the music. All the hits. All the wigs. All the hairstyles.
For More Information
TINA – The Tina Turner Musical
📍 Cadillac Palace Theatre
151 W. Randolph Street, Chicago
📅 June 3–8, 2025
🎟️ Tickets:
Now on sale at BroadwayInChicago.com
Prices range from $40–$140, with select premium seats available.
Group sales (10 or more): Call (312) 977-1710 or email GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com
✨ About the Show:
Written by Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, and directed by Phyllida Lloyd, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical tells the electrifying story of one of music’s most iconic women. Featuring Tina’s greatest hits and a creative team full of award-winning talent, this high-energy production has thrilled audiences across the globe and is now on its all-new North American tour.
🌐 Tour Information:
For the full tour schedule and more details, visit TinaOnBroadway.com.
About Post Author
