TINA - The Tina Turner Musical is a jukebox production featuring the music of Tina Turner and depicting her life from her humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to her transformation into a rock 'n roll superstar.
The musical had its world premiere in 2018 at the Aldwych Theatre in London with the Broadway production opening the following year. The show has spawned a number of successful European productions, plus a run in Australia, culminating in this new UK tour.
Let's set our stall out from the beginning. Tina Turner is an icon.
From humble beginnings in Tennessee, to her triumphant transformation into a multi award-winning global superstar, Tina Turner didn’t just break the rules, she rewrote them.
TINA is set to the soundtrack of her iconic hits, including The Best, What’s Love Got To Do With It? and River Deep, Mountain High and takes you on the ultimate rollercoaster of emotion. From shock to empathy to adulation - this is a show which has everything the audience is after.
To some extent it's difficult to know where to begin because there are so many stand-out elements to this show that merge to create what is nothing short of incredible,
Mark Thompson, Bruno Poet and Nevin Steinberg have excelled themselves with the staging, lighting and sound design respectively. The stageing does an excellent job of switching from house to studio to concert venue in a beautifully choreographed movement.
However, as you would expect, it's the cast that make this show what it is.
David King-Yombo plays Ike Turner with the depth and manipulation that you'd expect, not shying away from representing the brutality that Tina was put through. His chemistry on stage with our leading lady was incredible - never before has the realism been so stark that it felt like you were watching a documentary unfold.
Which brings us to our leading lady, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy and, make no bones about it, MacCarthy's performance is out of this world. It would be so easy to become a Tina Turner mimic in this show, such is the unique nature of the subject matter. Turner was known for her eccentricity, gravelly vocals and choreography, all of which MacCarthy has down to a tee, but without looking like a tribute act, which is an incredibly fine line to tread.
Tonight felt like we were watching the legend herself on the Hippodrome stage, and that's testament to the skill and ability of all of our performers. TINA is a powerful, bold and confident piece which doesn't shy away from the reality of domestic violence - but also portrays a strong, resilient woman who overcomes that life and becomes one of hte most successful entertainers of all time.
TINA - The Tina Turner Musical plays at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 20th June 2025. For more information, or to get your tickets, visit birminghamhippodrome.com.
