TINA THE MUSICAL – LONDON
★★★★★☆
Photo: Manuel Harlan
REVIEW TINA THE MUSICAL: TINA’S TRIUMPH
Lavishly choreographed ensemble numbers in simple, effective stage design, bursts of mega hits and excellent performances in the title role make TINA a real crowd pleaser and a great night out.
Thank you for helping me turn poison into medicine, said Tina Turner to the assembled cast and production team after the successful West End premiere of TINA in 2018, before the show moved on to Broadway and then out into the world.
TINA The Musical is a high-octane rock story about the person and artist Tina Turner, who grew from humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to become the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll and one of the biggest female superstars of the 20th century.
Originally named Anna Mae, Tina, who died aged 83 as a Swiss citizen in 2023, was one of the driving creative forces behind the musical’s development as she insisted on telling her whole story – including the other side of the coin.
Photo: Manuel Harlan
Not just as a painting of success stories and smash hits, but as a brutally honest portrayal of the many great challenges she faced in her life.
Tina’s marriage to Ike Turner kick-started her career and their band hit it big with 1973 R&B funk track Nutbush City Limits.
Photo: Manuel Harlan
The duo became one of the hottest live acts of their time, but the relationship soon turned into hell and the couple divorced in 1976 after 18 years of marriage, during which Ike systematically subjected Tina to psychological oppression and severe violence.
TINA is a classic bio-musical that straddles the line between feel-good and serious wife beating, portrayed so authentically on stage that it is at times very uncomfortable.
Photo: Manuel Harlan
After some lackluster years in the late 70s, Tina Turner made one of the most spectacular comebacks in rock history with 1984’s multi-platinum album Private Dancer and a new rock sound that captured a wide audience.
She went on to sell over 100 million albums and set an audience record as a solo artist with 180,000 people attending one of her 1988 tour concerts.
The journey is told in a series of lucid scenes that mix the turmoil of private life and the constraints of the music industry, where a strong cast of singers, dancers and performers give it so much gas that the audience surrenders unconditionally.
Photo: Manuel Harlan
As an actual drama, TINA is perhaps a little thin on the ground – as a biographical musical show, however, it is excellent, and Karis Anderson’s performance in the title role sweeps you off your feet with a generous selection of the many hits that are the safety net of the show, which impresses with its raw energy and intensity. Simply The Best will have you on your feet and floating away on a pink rock cloud.
Anderson perfectly embodies Tina’s wild and almost tribal stage presence, which perhaps stems from her heritage, which includes African American, Navajo and Cheyenne genes.
With an insistent physique, high pumps, short, fringed skirt and the iconic lioness-like wig, the finale is a full-blooded rock show that earns five stars from GOT TO SEE THIS.
