Everyone knows Tina Turner. Most people also know her story: rags to riches – to rags, to even bigger riches. Whether you do know it or not – it’s a great story and makes for a great musical. Especially with Tina’s back catalogue of music.
Born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939 Tennessee to very humble beginnings she picked cotton as a child and was mainly raised by her grandmother after her parents separated. She was also separated from her siblings. She didn’t have love from her parents but she did from her grandmother who also supported her love of singing which she did in church.
Her life (and music history) changed when she met Ike Turner who heard her singing in a nightclub he was performing at. Her asked her to join in band and the rest is history.
Much has been documented about Tina’s life with Ike (mostly due to the film “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”) and it’s all here to see. Ike is played in this show by David King-Yombo and he does a fantastic job, which is confirmed by the amount of boos he received at the curtain call. Brilliantly played.
Of course we know Tina left Ike which was not only the best personal decision she ever made but also the best professional one. She went on – like a phoenix rising from the ashes – to become one of the biggest music stars in history. Selling out stadiums and selling in the region of 100 million records. She also became known as “The Queen of Rock & Roll” (I personally think she was more the Queen of Rock – but that’s just my opinion).
In the lead role of Tina we had (at this performance as it’s an understandably shared role) Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy. The only word to describe her is sensational. She completely embodies Tina – both the Tina we knew and the Tina we didn’t – at every stage of her life. Her acting, dancing, and of course singing are truly outstanding. She leaves everything on that stage and her energy is off the scale. An absolute star.
A stand out moment is when Tina famously recorded “River Dep, Mountain High” with Phil Spector. Her vocals are off the scale. A real goose-pimple moment.
Aside from the two leads the rest of the cast are fantastic and really make this story happen. The band are also fantastic bringing these classics to life. These are great songs and they sound SO good here.
At the end of the show we a treated to a ten minute section of Tina at her peak. You feel like you’re at a real Tina Turner concert and it really brings the house down. The audience told to “get on your feet’. There was no need. We were already there.
We sadly lost Tina in 2023 but her music lives on and her memory lives on in this fantastic tribute to her life and career. A show so fitting for a legend.
“Break every rule” to get a ticket!
5 stars. As electric as Tina herself.
