A Bermudian actress and singer has landed a plum role as Tina Turner’s grandmother in a German production of a musical based on the superstar’s life, despite a struggle with the language.

Adi Wolf won the role in Tina — The Tina Turner Musical after two auditions.

The 53-year-old mother of three, who has lived in the port city of Hamburg with German husband Jorg for six years, said: “I have really worked on my German for a bit, but I thought there was no way. My German wasn’t good enough.

“I got a call back, and so I started working more on my German. I went back in thinking I still had no chance, but they seemed to be OK.

“As soon as I got home, they called me and asked if I could come in the next day.”

She added: “I found out later that apparently they already knew they wanted me for the part from the first call, but they wanted to know if I could learn the German.”

Ms Wolf admitted she almost decided against going for an audition.

Ms Wolf said: “I saw it and I thought it would be cool, but I thought I wouldn’t bother. Then I thought about it more and I decided I would just audition. I thought I was too old to play Tina, but maybe I could be her mother or her sister.

“Then I got there and they said they would like to see me for the grandmother, GG.”

Ms Wolf said she was stunned after she won the role and excited to be a part of the show, which focuses on Tina Turner’s humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, and her rise to world fame.

Ms Wolf said: “I’m really excited about this because it deals with a part of Tina Turner’s life that people don’t know a lot about.

“People know What’s Love Got to Do with It, but this is something completely different.

“This follows a younger, earlier part of her life and the people in her life.

“That’s what excited me about it. I think it’s going to be epic.”

She added: “It’s also important that this is an official show. Tina Turner has been involved in every part of it. I think that’s really exciting.”

Ms Wolf was an experienced performer before she moved to Germany and has since had roles in several major musicals.

She has appeared in productions of Showboat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, as well as singing in several bands.

The Tina Turner musical premiered in London’s West End last year with another Bermudian, Candace Furbert, in the cast.

Rehearsals for the German production are now under way at Hamburg’s Stage Operettenhaus and the premiere is scheduled for March.

Ms Wolf said she would be happy to return to the island to help encourage young Bermudians to achieve their dramatic dreams.

She added: “I tried a few years ago to organise something with the National Gallery.

“I think jazz is a dying art and I thought it would be great to get young people involved in art and jazz, so the idea was to get artists to paint while I am singing.”

However, Ms Wolf said the project failed on cost grounds, but that she still hoped to find a way to show young Bermudians that an international career in the performing arts was achievable.

She added: “There are a lot of Bermudians who are doing their thing out here and I would love to show the younger Bermudians that it can be done. You really can have the life.

“I know for a period I didn’t think I could ever be anybody in Bermuda, on this little island.

“I want to put Bermuda on the map, but first you need Bermudians to know they can be on the map. The most important thing is for people to know it can be done.”