If there’s a global equivalent of a national treasure, then Tina Turner would surely be a shining example, admired worldwide for her significant contribution to popular music across many decades, for her charismatic stage presence and for her fortitude in overcoming numerous traumas with grit and integrity.
Originally created with input from Tina herself, this musical is still going strong after seven years in the West End, and now Tina – The Tina Turner Musical also begins its first UK and Ireland tour, premièring at Leicester’s Curve.
The show begins (and ends) with Tina backstage (with Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy giving a powerhouse performance), chanting her Buddhist mantra as she prepares to perform in front of over 180,000 fans at a concert in Brazil. Her Cherokee grandmother, Gran Georgeanna (Claude East), and Baptist father (Rushand Chambers) appear in a scene-setting interpretation of “Nutbush City Limits”, and we are back with young Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, always singing in the midst of her parent’s unhappy and abusive marriage.
Anna Mae doesn’t see her mother Zelma (Letitia Hector) and sister Alline again until she is 17 having been encouraged by Gran Georgeanna to go to St Louis to try and get a record deal. She meets Ike Turner (David King-Yombo) and his Kings of Rhythm on a night out and, fatefully, joins him on stage.
Over the ensuing years, Ike takes control of every aspect of her life, as he becomes more envious of her success mixed with festering resentment that he wasn’t credited or taken seriously as a pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll. He took his frustrations out on Tina and her eldest child, until, with 36 cents to her own name, she left him to start again.
This production doesn’t shy away from depicting domestic abuse or the overt racism experienced by people of colour in America during her lifetime. In her late 40s, as she is once again trying to carve out a successful career for herself, she is met with rejection by the white, male-dominated record industry but somehow, through determination and belief in herself, she goes on to achieve global recognition, respect and the title of the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Markers of place and time are helpfully provided by Jeff Sugg’s projection design, which depict the various backdrops of Tina’s life: from the cotton fields and big skies of rural America, rainy London streets, the psychedelic blur of the '60s and early '70s and the twinkling lights in a vast stadium of excited fans.
As you might expect, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy must carry a lot of the weight of this show, and she gives a dynamic portrayal of Tina, capturing her mannerisms and distinctive singing style. The energy in her performances is compelling, whether solo or alongside the versatile company who move stylishly between a variety of musical styles, Anthony van Laast’s energetic choreography, costumes (Mark Thompson) and wigs (Campbell Young Associates).
This is a long musical (not far off three hours including the interval), but this does give opportunities to really focus on the musical performances. Nicholas Skilbeck’s arrangements of the many classic songs featured are nicely interwoven with the book; however, there isn’t much room for development with some scenes or characters. But this is Tina’s story, and you get the feeling that through her involvement, she was able to lay some ghosts to rest.
Ohene MacCarthy’s duet of “Let’s Stay Together” with Kyle Richardson (as Tina’s boyfriend Raymond Hill) is beautifully performed, and a really tender moment amongst the rockier numbers.
David King-Yombo manages to show the complexity to Ike’s character rather than dismiss him as the one-dimensional “baddie”; his physicality in the role is impressive.
This show serves up classic rock and pop, performed with huge energy and enthusiasm and with a brilliant live band led by musical director Sarah Burrell. Admire Tina’s tenacity and share in the memory of her infectious spirit with the enjoyable sing-and-dance along at the show’s climax.