“This show is a true celebration of a woman who broke down all the barriers to succeed in life. Something that moved me to tears, and had the Manchester audience leaping to their feet,” writes Dianne BourneJochebel Ohene MacCarthy as Tina Turner in TINA – The Tina Turner Musical (Image: Johan Persson)

There are barely a handful of music icons who are so well known, so iconic, that they’re unmistakable from the merest glimpse of their silhouette. And Tina Turner is irrefutably one of them.

And so as the curtain rises at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, Tina’s 1980s-era bouffant hair a-quiver, long legs astride in tight red leather dress, it’s all that is required to elicit the whoops and cheers before even a note has been sung. This, of course, is the Tina Turner Musical – a most thrilling tribute to the global superstar.

It was first brought to the stage with Tina’s approval in 2018, and has continued to wow audiences across the world since her death in 2022. Now, it has headed out on its first UK and Ireland tour for the first time, with a five week festive stint here in Manchester.

And what a Christmas cracker it is. Stepping into Tina’s shoes is no mean feat – but here in Manchester we have two exceptional performers who will be sharing the role during the Manchester run – Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy and Ella Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi.

On opening night, it was Jochebel taking on Tina, and what a performance. She moves deftly from the innocent young Anna-Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee to the blossoming woman showing off her voice of fire in St Louis.

As she takes on some of the most iconic Tina music moments, from the 1960s era with Ike through to her 1980s solo comeback to become a global superstar, Jochebel has nailed it all. The iconic stage grooves, the lip curls, the growling voice – she is a convincing Queen of Rock in every inch of this portrayal.

Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy as Tina Turner in TINA – The Tina Turner Musical (Image: Johan Persson)

In the initial stages of producing this musical, Tina wanted to ensure that her whole story was told, not just the successes and the iconic music – so don’t head along expecting a happy-go-lucky, glib jukebox musical.

Although of course we do get to hear many of Tina’s biggest hits – the likes of Nutbush City Limits, River Deep and Mountain High, What’s Love Got To Do With It and The Best.

But this is real, it is raw and it is unflinching in the portrayal of the abhorrent racism Tina and her bandmates faced not only in the early years but at the peak of her fame too. There’s also the abuse Tina suffered at the hands of ex-husband Ike.

In this show that difficult role is portrayed with fierce menace by David King-Yombo, together these actors make the horrendous violence seem so real it left this critic in tears.

David King-Yombo as Ike Turner and Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy as Tina(Image: Johan Persson)

But in the words of the late, great Tina herself after that very first opening night: “We turned poison into medicine”. In Tina’s self-help books during her life she also memorably said: “Living a joyful life, I’ve found, is not about trying to avoid the unavoidable. Joy comes from summoning a strong life force to overcome problems.”

So by the dazzling finale we have the feelgood moments too – and naturally the curtain call is an out-and-out celebration of everything that Tina achieved, where the crowd are encouraged to jump up and dance and sing along.

Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi also takes the role of Tina during the Manchester run of shows – pictured with William Beckerleg as Erwin Bach(Image: Johan Persson)

This show is a true celebration of a woman who broke down all the barriers to succeed in life. Something that moved me to tears, and had the Manchester audience leaping to their feet.

It’s a gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, soul-lifting journey of one woman truly finding her voice. And for music fans, it’s a show not to be missed.

Tina – The Tina Turner Musical is at Manchester’s Palace Theatre until January 3, 2026. Age guidance: 14+, and contains strobe lighting, loud music, gun shots, haze and scenes including violence.