Book: Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins

Director: Phylidda Lloyd

The West End mega-hit Tina comes to Sheffield in all its rip-roaring, raw, astonishing, glorious, loud (very), raucous, vibrant and triumphant glory. Everyone should take this opportunity to see it whilst they can and witness the verve, energy, skill and sheer passion that was Tina Turner (bless her soul). If you never experienced the real Tina Turner in a live show but only saw television footage of her as this reviewer did and, one suspects, many of the audience, this show must come close to recreating what it must have been like to see her perform. You come away having felt that Tina Turner was actually there on stage in front of you such was the level of performance, and what is more you have had the privilege of seeing her life story unfold from humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee to her triumphant transformation into a multi award-winning global superstar.  

Her life story is remarkably similar to another black icon of soul – Aretha Franklin. Both used to sing enthusiastically as a child in her daddy’s church, a fervent and charismatic preacher, but both suffered abuse by that same preacher who was also not averse to mistreating his wife at home. Civilised behaviour in public masked ungodly goings-on at home and eventually Zelma (an outstanding Letitia Hector) left the family home and took one of her daughters (not Anna Mae – Tina to be) with her. Tina was left in the care of her Gran Georgeanna (GG) who exhibited all the love and attention that had been lacking and eventually Tina came to the attention of Ike Turner and so he entered her life.  

This was to prove a love-hate relationship and a blessing in disguise because Ike was a notorious, violent abuser of women and Tina felt the full force of this more than once. He started her out on the road to stardom and they – somewhat reluctantly on her part – married  but she soon outgrew what he had to offer and he always resented her greater talent and charisma. When they eventually divorced and went their own ways he was to prove a constant thorn in her side until he achieved a sort of redemption – at least in Zelma’s eyes. David King-Yombo does a great job in playing Ike from his first appearance as a sharp-suited, hair slicked back rock star (looking a bit like Chuck Berry or Little Richard) to an older, somewhat shuffling reformed alcoholic/drug addict taking care of Tina’s mother. In the earlier scenes Ike’s latent jealousy and liking for letting his fists do the talking is always just beneath the surface whilst counter balancing this with his charm and affability. It’s a nuanced performance that does King-Yombo a lot of credit.

But the star of the show is in every sense Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi in the lead role. The greatest accolade that can be paid to her is that she becomes Tina Turner, so convincing is her portrayal. First and foremost is her incredible singing voice. It has all the power, range, energy and passion associated with Tina at her peak and the finale with its medley of iconic hits and choreography and staging is a sight to behold. The audience just cannot get enough of her and the show finished well past the allotted time with all the encores and ovations, everyone on their feet and clapping and singing along. N’Zuzi never actually saw Tina in the flesh but has watched countless videos of her live performances and interviews in order to capture her way of moving, her voice, her mannerisms, her look. She is on stage virtually throughout and goes through about seventeen wig/costume changes to achieve her transformation. The part is an extremely demanding one and calls for maximum concentration and skill, not only in the musical numbers but also in the dialogue, acting and movement. She succeeds admirably in convincing as an unknown teenager working in the cotton fields and being raised by her grandma to learning the ropes of singing on the road with Ike and the band, experiencing a volatile and abusive marriage, negotiating record deals with the likes of Phil Spector (a nice cameo by Martin Allanson), overcoming barriers such as racial discrimination, to global superstar status playing to an audience of 180,000 in Rio de Janeiro and winning 12 Grammy Awards in total. In the show all the hits that you would expect are there: The Best, What’s Love Got To Do With It?, Private Dancer, River Deep, Mountain High, Nutbush City Limits, Proud Mary and more.

The cast are universally good, from ensemble to speaking parts, but mention should just be made of little Chloe Angiama, one of three actresses who share the role of young Anna Mae Bullock (Tina as a child). She displayed confidence and not a little singing skill both at the beginning and the finale in what must have been quite daunting for her and deserved her applause at the end.  

Mention should also be made of the superb sound, lighting and all-round staging of the show which all flowed effortlessly (in reality this is due to a lot of hard work behind the scenes) and all those involved deserve the highest credit. 

Runs until 20 September 2025.

  • The Reviews Hub Star Rating

    10