REVIEW: TINA – The Tina Turner Musical at Newcastle Theatre Royal

TINA – The Tina Turner Musical 

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Tuesday 3 to Saturday 14 March 2026

I have seen enough jukebox musicals now to generally know what to expect - sparkles, fun and the odd song awkwardly shoehorned into a story. I’ve also seen enough to understand that perception of jukebox musicals amongst the more serious theatre types isn’t always the most positive, and this is what first struck me about Tina. No matter who I spoke to about the show, everyone was full of praise, applauding how well the show tells the painful tale of a woman from Nutbush, Tennessee, who became one of the biggest stars in the world. Having seen it, I now know that this is a jukebox musical unlike any other.

The musical takes you on a journey through Tina’s life, from her humble beginnings as a young girl singing too loudly at church, through her tumultuous and abusive marriage to Ike Turner and finally onto her hard-won success as a solo artist. Whilst Tina’s story, particularly the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ike, is fairly well-known, what often gets forgotten is how much she had to overcome to succeed in a music business that discriminated against her based on her race, gender and even her age. The show does not shy away from any of these difficult topics, taking you on the journey with Tina as she simply refuses to give in. The violence, racism and discrimination genuinely draw gasps from the audience, and make the moments of affection, joy and success all the more poignant.

Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi plays Tina, and honestly, words fail me. She is an absolute tour de force and it is simply impossible to peel your eyes away from her. She brings new meaning to the words “triple threat” in theatre - her performance demands attention in every word, every line, every step. Indeed, I spent much of the show in awe at the sheer athleticism of Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi - not a beat was missed, and her dancing at the very end of the show was as polished and energetic as it was at the start, even when delivering astonishingly powerful notes in the big numbers. 

The cast are strong, particularly vocally, with some wonderful performances by both leads and ensemble performers. David King-Yombo gives an impressive performance as the talented but abusive Ike, whilst Tina’s family dynamic is brilliantly portrayed by Claude East as Gran Georgeanna, Georgia Gillam as her sister Alline and Letitia Hector as her mother Zelma. A special mention must be made to the professionalism with which the cast and the theatre staff handled a show stop in the second act, due to a medical emergency in the audience. Whilst these things do unfortunately happen, all involved responded quickly and theatre staff, cast and crew were rightfully applauded by how they handled the situation. Several of the cast have mentioned this on social media, and I would like to reiterate their sentiments and wish the person who took ill a swift recovery. 

The staging of the musical is reasonably simplistic for most of the show, reliant upon the large screen at the back of the stage. This works well, allowing the emphasis to be on the performances rather than on huge scene changes. It also means that there is little distraction from every brilliant costume, from the sequins to the satin. A special shout out to the Wigs, Hair and Make-Up team, because, as you can imagine, there is no Tina Turner musical without a huge range of hairstyles. Finally, the finale scene is sheer theatrical perfection, with clever staging that allows for a real feel-good party at the end of the show. 

I have been humming Tina Turner songs for most of the day, from Private Dancer and Proud Mary to I Can’t Stand The Rain and of course, (Simply) The Best, but the musical will stay with me for a long time, and not just down to an absolutely banging tracklist. When telling great stories, it is always important not to hide from the more difficult aspects, but to include them, no matter how uncomfortable. TIna does this so well, refusing to hide from the abuse and racism, but forcing us to confront the harsh reality of the life of one of music’s greatest stars and acknowledge how much she was forced to deal with. The journey through the show is not an easy one, but, by the end of the show, I felt genuinely inspired by her story and full of a heady mix of joy and sheer adrenaline.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical takes the audience on a thrilling, if not always cosy, journey. I laughed, I cried, I danced, and I’ve been singing its praises ever since. With standout performances and a truly raw and genuine telling of the Queen of Rock and Roll’s Life, this show is definitely one to see before it rolls (on a river) out of town next weekend. 

Review: Hannah Daglish

Tickets:

TINA – The Tina Turner Musical runs at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 3 to Saturday 14 March 2026. Evening performances are at 7.30pm, with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm. Book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or call the box office.