As Tina Cross prepares to make her grand return to the stage this month in a production of Wicked the Musical, she can hardly believe it’s happening. But after three years of preparation thanks to Covid cancellations, Tina thinks this could be her finest performance yet.
“I’m so excited it’s really going to happen!’ enthuses the chart-topping singer. “I feel like I have some unfinished business to attend to.”
While she has been on an emotional roller-coaster ride with the postponements of the show, Tina appreciates how Wicked has been one of the constants in her life during a period of personal upheaval.
Two years ago, Tina’s marriage ended and though they are on good terms, in March last year she packed her things and moved to Sydney in search of some new scenery, and to help her come to grips with her new chapter.
“I needed to take myself away,” shares Tina. “I wanted a fresh look at where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do in the future. Sometimes you need a bit of rejuvenation – it’s good for the soul.
“Life has taken a few different dips and dives, but I’ve come out the other side feeling like I’m not as manic about finding the next thing. I’m more relaxed. I feel like the universe will provide and the right thing will come along.”
The move turned out to be exactly what she needed, and though Australia is home for now, with young grandchildren Bobbie and Jett in Aotearoa, Tina admits it won’t be long before she is back in the country for good.
“It’s so nice when I’m home,” she tells. “I had my two-year-old granddaughter over for a sleepover while her parents went away to a wedding. And then I can just pop down the road and have a nice long cuddle with my grandson, who was born in December.”
Not surprisingly, Tina’s already sharing her love of music with the new generation.
“Ever since Bobbie was a baby, I’ve been singing her Moe Moe Pepe/Sleep, Sleep, Baby, which my mum sang to me when I was a kid. Now, if I start singing it, she’ll join in and sing the words she knows.”
The other strength in Tina’s life has been her The Lady Killers bandmates and long-time friends Jackie Clarke and Suzanne Lynch.
“We’re like family,” says Tina. “I can talk honestly with them about anything and there’s no judgment about anything that any of us do, only support. We are three of the most enduring women in the industry and it’s such a privilege to work with them.”
The 64-year-old is the patron of North Shore Music Theatre and was delighted when she was invited in 2020 to play the part of Madame Morrible in their production of Wicked, which tells the origin story of Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Morrible is in cahoots with the fraudulent Wizard and helps turn Oz against Elphaba, giving her the “wicked” nickname when she threatens their power.
“I’m in my 60s now and it’s nice to have this meaty role,” says Tina. “She may not be a huge role, but she’s a villain and those are always favourite parts to play.”
As Covid arrived on our shores, there were fears the show would be cancelled before they had even started. But when New Zealand’s closed borders and swift lockdown eradicated Covid from the community, it seemed like the 2021 season could go ahead as planned.
They almost made it to opening night, but Covid cases and lockdowns forced them to postpone twice. Despite the disruptions, no one ever doubted their hard work would be seen.
Sadly, at the start of 2022, as a deadly Omicron wave swept the country and harsh restrictions were imposed on social gatherings, the financial burden of postponing for a third time was too much, and the show was cancelled for good only a week before they were supposed to open.
“It was heartbreaking,” Tina recalls. “We were all in costume when our director delivered the bad news. Though it turned into a little celebration with pizzas and drinks to toast our hard work. We all left that day not expecting the show would be picked up again.”
But Tina and the passionate cast of amateur performers will finally get their moment in the spotlight when the season kicks off on March 31.
Tina blanches when she realises she is a year away from receiving the pension, but as long as she has breath in her lungs, nothing will keep her from the stage.
“I will never stop performing,” she declares. “When I performed at the Pacific Song Contest in 1979, I remember picturing myself in my 60s and thinking I’d probably have retired by then. But when you’re young, you think being in your 60s and heading into your 70s is too old, but you’re never too old!”
Wicked the Musical is on from March 31 – April 22 at Auckland’s SkyCity Theatre. Visit wickedauckland.co.nz for tickets.
