After almost 2,500 performances on the West End, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is out on tour, and is currently resident in Edinburgh’s enormous Playhouse. In essence, it’s precisely what anyone would expect: a jukebox musical biography packed with Turner’s biggest hits. It may not be perfect, but it’s a beautifully produced spectacle nevertheless.
The show tracks the will-be pop icon, born Anna Mae Bullock, from a broken home in 1940s Nutbush, Tennessee, into more than a decade of a musically rich, but infamously abusive personal and professional relationship with Ike, before her star finally ascends to the heavens more than 40 years later.
Of course, many — maybe most — audiences piling in for the show are coming for the music, but this is a musical, not a concert. So, you ask, how’s the storytelling?
The Book: Good Enough to Hang a Discography On
Well, the book, written by Katori Hall, along with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, isn’t particularly remarkable, but it’s good enough to hang a solid portion of Tina’s discography on without seeming too contrived. The first act, following Tina from kid to the traumatic few moments following the final split from Ike, is, however, very long, and full of suffering in between moments of musical bliss when Tina — Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi (role sharing with Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy) — and the superb band under Sarah Burrel let loose.
Well, the book, written by Katori Hall, along with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, isn’t particularly remarkable, but it’s good enough to hang a solid portion of Tina’s discography on without seeming too contrived.
Director Phyllida Lloyd knows what she’s doing, emphasising every false dawn in Tina’s career before plunging her and the audience into dark, regularly violent lows. Moments after a juvenile Anna Mae sings her heart out, riffing on ‘Nutbush City Limits’ in church, her uncaring mother is marching out of the family home along with her sister. No sooner has she recorded the titanic ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ with Phil Spector (a cracking comic cameo from Martin Allanson), than she’s alone with Ike (David King-Yombo) being beaten black and blue. Just when you think it’s safe to bop along to ‘Proud Mary,’ she’s in a fight for her life, and fleeing into the night. Emotional rollercoaster is an understatement.
Later Glories: Speedy Bliss and Comic Relief
By contrast, a speedy second act blitzes through the later glories of world chart domination and true romance. Even so, Isaac Elder effuses golden retriever energy as her eventual manager, Roger Davies, whilst William Beckerleg makes the most of an underwritten part as Marketing Manager turned loving spouse, Erwin Bach. The pick of these later scenes, however, may be a comedy-packed encounter with the Human League’s Martin Ware (Richard Taylor Woods) in a London recording studio, trying — and failing — to persuade her to record ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’
Keen to satisfy its audience, the show doesn’t finish when Tina’s story reaches such elysian planes of financial and romantic security—it ends with an all-guns-blazing mini-concert. Tina is most certainly out to justify every penny paid for a ticket—many of which seem to have been spent on Mark Thompson’s utterly splendid array of costumes.
Just when you think it’s safe to bop along to ‘Proud Mary,’ she’s in a fight for her life, and fleeing into the night. Emotional rollercoaster is an understatement.
A Voice That Lacks “Raw, Untrained Majesty”
On the whole, Tina is worth the price of admission—not least due to the splendid arrangement and delivery of every song included. That said, by plucking songs from Tina’s discography at will, the show somewhat neuters the defining moment when her Private Dancer album catapulted her to megastardom.
I’m also not convinced that plucking performers out of musical theatre schools is the best way to find stand-in Tinas. Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi is a gifted performer, but her voice lacks the raw, untrained majesty of Tina Turner’s raspy instrument. Of course, Tina/Anna Mae was a once-in-a-generation talent, and the last thing you want is a tribute act impression—but the part calls for the sort of voice you rarely find on West End stages.
(It’s worth noting that Lola McCourtie as young Tina has this unschooled quality in spades. She belts out notes with more heart than technique, and the result is just what the Pop doctor ordered.)
The Technical Knockout: Set, Sound, and Lighting
Despite this, there’s an abundance of talent involved in Tina, and it shows from start to finish. Mark Thompson’s set is a quality affair, manifesting church, smoky bars, recording studios and more with slickly deployed, yet admirably restrained assets, augmented by Jeff Suggs’ impressive projected backdrops. Anthony van Laast milks every last ounce of sweat from the principals and ensemble alike, time and time again, to capture the energy of a Tina Turner show, and—most importantly—Nicholas Skilbeck and Nevin Steinberg conspire to provide sensational arrangements and sound design, respectively.
Oh yes, and before the show is done, expect Lighting Designer Bruno Poet to blind you at least once. It would be wrong to describe Tina as anything less than spectacular. So whilst it may not be the most compelling true story ever brought to the stage, it’s still a very fine show indeed.
Featured Image: Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi as Tina Turner in Tina – The Tina Turner Musical – Image by Johan Persson
Details
Show: TINA – The Tina Turner Musical
Venue: Edinburgh Playhouse, 18–22 Greenside Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3AA
Dates: 11–22 November 2025
Running Time: 2 hours 45 minutes (including interval)
Age Guidance: 14+. Includes scenes of domestic violence, references to suicide, racist language, strong language, loud music, strobe lighting, haze and gunshots.
Admission: Tickets from £25.00 (plus £3.95 transaction fee)
Time: Mon–Sat 7:30pm; Thu & Sat matinees 2:30pm
Accessibility: Fully Accessible Venue.
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