Tina - The Tina Turner Musical - Milton Keynes Theatre

If you want to start the year on a (River Deep Mountain) High, you can’t get higher than Tina – The Tina Turner Musical that is currently showing in Milton Keynes Theatre.  It’s an explosive extravaganza and tells the story of overcoming hardship to reach your dreams.  

It’s a powerful story.  Tina Turner started life as Anna Mae Bullock and grew up in the Tennessee where cotton picking was part of life and segregation was rife throughout America.  Anna Mae always had a voice even if it was just singing in church.  Her mum struggled with her ‘attention seeking’ voice and left with her other daughter leaving Anna Mae to be brought up by her grandmother.  Her grandmother could see that Nutbush was not big enough for her and her voice.  Her sister missed her and invited her to move in with her and their mum so Anna Mae moved to St Louis which was much more fashionable.  Going out they met Ike Turner who was a heart throb to all the local ladies.  He could sing, write music and really had a charm that girls fell for, including Anna Mae. Once he heard her sing, he knew she needed to be part of his band and sweet talked her mum to let her tour with him.  Anna Mae became Tina Turner and Ike married her because he never wanted his star to leave.  It was not a happy relationship and Ike was very violent during the 16 years they were together.  It’s true they had several hits but never a number one.

Tina left the relationship with no money and a bloody face.  She had had enough.  She fought him to keep her name but was still struggling to put food on the table and have a roof over her head and that of her kids.  Then she took a chance and flew to London where she met Martin Ware of Heaven 17 who had a new electronic sound that could really put her career back on track.  Sure enough taking this chance meant that Tina Turner became the true star she always was, and went on to win several Grammys.

The iconic role of Tina is shared and tonight I got to see Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi who is a phenomenal talent.  Her voice and all the mannerisms make us feel that we are at a Tina Turner concert.  She smashes the role and even in the quieter moments, her acting shines through.  Elle deserves every accolade.  Ike Turner is played by David King- Yombo and he gives such a brilliant performance I cannot imagine anyone else in the role.  He turns on the charm when he needs to, he is violent and horrible to poor Tina but the way David delivers it, we see another side to Ike when he is contemplating the stars and what happened to his father.  It’s a moving performance. I need to give a shout out to the young Anna Mae played tonight by Lola McCourtie. She stole every scene she was in. What a joy to watch her.

The show’s first half pace fluctuates from high energy numbers to the hard times in-between. I loved the church version of Nutbush City Limits and all the high energy numbers including Proud Mary and River Deep Mountain High.  The costumes are on point as are the wigs. Iconic moments frozen in time.  The second half focuses on her 80’s career so we hear the classic songs What’s Love Got To Do With It, Private Dancer, Simply The Best and I was surprised and delighted to hear Tonight which is a song that David Bowie wrote for his album of the same name.

Discover the heart and soul behind the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.  Experience her inspiring story live on stage as this exhilarating celebration reveals the untold story 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.

Tina – The Tina Turner Musical is at Milton Keynes Theatre until 7 February 2026.