The Tina Turner musical is heading to Manchester on its first ever UK and Ireland tourThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn moreElle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi as Tina Turner in TINA – The Tina Turner Musical(Image: Johan Persson)

It has been one of the hottest tickets on London’s West End over the past seven years, and now TINA – The Tina Turner Musical heads to Manchester on its first ever UK and Ireland tour.

The hit-packed show headed to Manchester’s Palace Theatre next week and will play right across the festive period as the theatre’s big Christmas show. And audiences are certainly in for a cracker of a show.

It has won rave reviews during its extended West End run, with critics in the capital hailing it “simply the best” in a nod to one of Tina’s biggest blockbuster hits.

And ah, those hits. There are few performers who can boast quite such a roster of smashes than the late, great music icon Tina.

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While this show falls technically into the “jukebox musical” category, it’s not one of those shows that uses a pop star’s hits to pad out a schmaltzy new story.

Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi as Tina Turner in TINA – The Tina Turner Musical (Image: Johan Persson)

But this one is with true heart as it tells the real-life story of Tina, and how she rose from humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennesse, to become a multi-award-winning global superstar.

As the publicity blurb states, Tina didn’t just break the rules, she rewrote them.

Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her iconic hits, audiences can expect the likes of The Best, What’s Love Got To Do With It?, Private Dancer and River Deep, Mountain High as we get to discover the heart and soul behind the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Tina’s inspiring story will be brought to life on stage in an exhilarating celebration of a woman who dared to dream fiercely, shatter barriers and defy the bounds of age, gender, and race to conquer the world against all odds.

Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy as Tina Turner in TINA – The Tina Turner Musical coming to Manchester’s Palace Theatre in November 2025(Image: Johan Persson)

The show was created in full association with Tina, before her death in 2023 aged 83, and continues to delight audiences across the world. The musical is written by Olivier Award and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Katori Hall (The Mountaintop) and directed by the internationally acclaimed Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia!).

Taking on the role of Tina in the show here in Manchester is certainly a big job. And for the tour, it will be shared between two West End stars, Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi and Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy.

Both have played the role on previous tours and are huge fans of Tina.

For both actors, telling Tina’s story is a challenge they are revelling in, from her trademark strut to her powerful, distinctive vocals, they have spent many hours studying the singer in order to capture her essence.

The two actresses share the role of Tina on the UK and Ireland tour – here Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy is pictured as Tina(Image: Johan Persson)

“Our choreographer Simone Mistry-Palmer worked a lot with Tina so knew all the moves. She has ensured that what you see in the show is faithful to what Tina did on stage and both Jochebel and I have watched a lot of videos.

“We still do because we are very different Tinas,’ says Elle, adding: “No one will ever be her, but as we are telling her story, we have a tool box of things we can choose to implement in the songs, for example, she had a very specific way of forming some words that audiences expect to hear.”

MacCarthy confesses that the famous strut was something she took time to master.

Perfecting the Tina strut(Image: Johan Persson)

“That whole Tina-esque presence was definitely something I had to work at and took about eight or nine weeks to perfect, but with Tina you are constantly learning.

“If you want to be better and better you have to constantly go back to the documentaries about her, to revisit her story, and then drive that into your performance.

“Every day, you learn something new. The thing is, when you finish rehearsals and go to the shops and suddenly hear, “What’s love got to do, got to do wIth it…” coming over the store’s speakers, you do think, “Tina’s following me. She wants me to do better – that’s how I feel anyway.”

“Me too.” laughs N’Zuzi.

David King-Yombo will take on the role of Ike Turner, while other principal cast members are Martin Allanson as Phil Spector, William Beckerleg as Erwin Bach, Gemma Sutton as Rhonda Graam, and Georgia Gillam as Alline.

How to get tickets

TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, comes to The Palace Theatre, Manchester from November 25 right through until January 3rd 2026.

Tickets are available from ATG, with some tickets still available from £15 on dates across the run, including matinees at 2.30pm and evening performances at 7.30pm. The cheapest seats are in the Grand Tier.

There’s still good availability for seats across the venue, which are priced from £25 up to £130 for the most premium seats.