West End Wednesday: TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is a 2018 jukebox musical chronicling the real-life story of pop/rock icon Tina Turner, from humble beginnings to her propulsion into the public eye and her transformation into a music legend. 

The production underwent a workshop in 2016 with Turner herself in attendance. The book was initially penned by Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, however after a few early drafts, the book writing duties were taken over by Katori Hall. The production was being produced by Stage Entertainment with their view to open in the West End around 2018. The creative team included Phyllida Lloyd as Director, Anthony Van Laast as Choreographer, Mark Thompson as Set and Costume Designer, and Nicholas Skilbeck as Musical Supervisor. 

The musical opened for previews on 21 March 2018 at The Aldwych Theatre and officially opened on 17 April. The opening night cast included Adrienne Warren as Tina, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Ike Turner, Madeline Appiah as Zelma Bullock, Gerard McCarthy as Erwin Bach, Francesca Jackson as Rhonda Gramm and Ryan O’Donnell as Roger Davies. The musical opened to positive reviews from London publications, with unanimous praise for Warren in the role of Turner for which she was nominated for an Olivier, as well as Holdbrook-Smith who ultimately won. The show was also successful at the box office and with audiences, running until March 2020 when it was forced to close in the West End shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Due to the success of the West End production, the show inevitably premiered on Broadway a year and a half later. The production opened at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre for previews on 12 October 2019, with Warren reprising her critically acclaimed performance as Tina, which led to her nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical at the 2020 TONY Awards. Warren won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. The production was again directed by Lloyd and choreographed by Van Laast. Like the London production, performances were halted in March 2020 because of the Broadway shutdown, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Internationally, the German production opened in March 2019 in Hamburg starring Nyassa Alberta as Tina, with a view to transfer to Stuttgart in 2021. The production also opened in Utrecht, The Netherlands in February 2019 with Alberta reprising the role of Tina from the German production, making her the first actress to play the role in more than one language. 

Besties, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is an awesome show, with a fire soundtrack. Give it a listen, you won’t be disappointed.

Cast recording available on streaming services. 

FACTS:

Music: Various
Lyrics: Various
Book: Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins

Theatre: The Aldwych Theatre
Run: 21 March 2018 - 16 March 2020 (Around 26 previews and 800 performances – Suspended due to COVID-19 Pandemic) 

OLIVIERS:

(NOMINATED) Best New Musical, Best Actress in a Musical – Adrienne Warren.

(WON) Best Actor in a Musical – Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. 

TONYS:

(NOMINATED) Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical – Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – Adrienne Warren, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical – Daniel J. Watts, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical – Myra Lucretia Taylor, Best Direction of a Musical – Phyllida Lloyd, Best Choreography – Anthony Van Laast, Best Orchestrations – Ethan Popp, Best Scenic Design of a Musical – Mark Thompson and Jeff Sugg, Best Costume Design of a Musical – Mark Thompson, Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Bruno Poet, Best Sound Design of a Musical – Nevin Steinberg.

(WON) PENDING.