Tina – The Tina Turner Musical

Why Watch Tina – The Tina Turner Musical

What sets this musical apart is its dedication to telling Tina’s story with no excessive dramatisation or additions of superfluous story elements. Director Phyllida Lloyd and Olivier Award-winning playwright Katori Hall have amassed some of the most talented artists for this musical. The cast includes Adrienne Warren, a performer hailed for her powerful voice, Daniel J. Watts, Dawnn Lewis, and Nkeki Obi-Melekwe. When it first premiered at the Aldwych Theatre in April 2018, it received rave critical reviews and managed to keep audiences cheering until the final song. As a consequence of its authentic portrayal of events, the show is endorsed by the 12-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Tina Turner herself. It is a resounding reminder of the difficult circumstances in which the star rose to become the undisputed queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll by battling the forces of misogyny, racial prejudice, and domestic abuse.

The Story

Before Tina Turner became the most popular musician of her time, she endured a long line of hurdles. Her career began with a recording named Little Ann that she worked on with the King of Rhythm, an American R&B band in the late 1950s. She soon married arranger, record producer, and noted singer Ike Turner. Much of her early success came in the 1960s with hit singles such as A Fool in Love, River Deep – Mountain High, Proud Mary, and Nutbush City Limits, all of which she produced in association with the ‘Ike & Tina Turner Revue’.
Domestic violence and a plummeting career soon led her to divorce Ike Turner and turn to Nichiren Buddhism for solace and meaning. Between 1972 and the early 1980s, Tina struggled to keep her career afloat. She bounced back to fame with hit singles like Let’s Stay Together and What’s Love Got to Do With It that are featured in the musical. Her 2008 tour ‘Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour’ holds the record for being the highest-selling ticketed show of all time. This musical leaves no stone unturned as it takes you on an emotional and musical rollercoaster ride.

Good For

Fans of Tina Turner | Lovers of Musicals

Critics Review

“She (Adrienne Warren) perfectly captures that leggy, rangy, in-charge physicality. From a musical standpoint, she virtually carries the show, singing nigh-on every song and even giving us an encore at the end.”
– Timeout

“Phyllida Lloyd’s musical is a heady celebration of triumph over adversity, with an astonishing turn by Adrienne Warren!”
– The Guardian