Tina: The Tina Turner Musical - Broadway Review

For those of you who haven't seen my Instagram and TikTok, I spent last week in New York for my birthday! Whilst I was there, I got to see the Tina Turner Musical at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway and it was incredible!

The story follows the inspiring journey of Tina Turner from being a young girl growing up in Tennessee to the world famous performer she is now. It explores her turbulent marriage to Ike Turner, with whom she separated from after years of physical abuse, as well as her damaged relationship with her mother, who left her as a young child. Despite the clear difficulties that Turner has had in her life, the actual performance is both light-hearted and humorous in parts yet emotional when needed. 

The score is the highlight of the show, due to it consisting of some of Turner's greatest hits, along with some of her lesser known but equally powerful songs. I went into the show only knowing a small number of Tina Turner classics, such as 'River Deep Mountain High' and 'We Don't Need Another Hero', but found some new songs which I enjoyed just as much. These included 'Don't Turn Around' and 'I Don't Wanna Fight'.

The casting for the production was perfect. Nkeki Obi-Melekwe played Tina, and she was incredible in the role. Her singing was phenomenal and she sounded just like Tina. She was also successful in mastering the small movements and body language which makes Tina stand out, making the performance both believable and engaging. It was hard to see how this was Obi-Melekwe's debut Broadway role, as her skill made it seem like she'd been performing in the industry for a really long time. She was supported by an outstanding cast which included Nick Rashad Burroughs, Natasha Yvette Williams, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Jessica Rush and Steven Booth. 

The ending of the performance is a particular highlight, where Obi-Melekwe sings 'The Best', arguably one of Turner's most famous and well-loved songs. It's a fitting ending which showcases Tina being back on top, after experiencing the trials and tribulations of her life in her earlier rise to fame. It shows Tina riding high, about to perform to thousands at a concert in Brazil. Midway through the song, the theatre stage transforms into a concert stage, with signs and screens lowering into the audience view to create the impression of them being at a real life performance of Tina Turner. For some sections of the show, it feels more like a Tina Turner concert than a production about her life, which really makes evident how convincing Obi-Melekwe is in the role. 

I would definitely recommend going to watch The Tina Turner Musical if you get the opportunity to! It's currently showing on both Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, and the West End at the Aldwych Theatre. For any fans of Tina Turner or even just jukebox musical lovers, it's definitely something you'll enjoy!

Tickets for the Broadway show can be found here, and for the West End show here.