Theatre Review: TINA - The Tina Turner Musical at the Bristol Hippodrome
Dates: Tuesday 8th April – Saturday 26th April 2025
Timing: 2 hours 45 minutes (including interval)
Rating: ★★★★
TINA – The Tina Turner Musical! announces itself as ‘Simply the Best’, and I certainly share that opinion, along with the whole audience of last night’s show. It was a night filled with emotion, singing and splendour and one I know I won’t forget in a hurry.
The musical itself centres around Turner’s real life story and catapults the audience through a series of troubled and dark events with the backdrop of the racism and misogyny that prevailed in the US across these decades. With scenes of violence and abuse, this isn’t one for the children, with an age guidance of 14+ in place. Although some of the depictions of violence themselves were very clearly performed and didn’t leave me with my heart in my throat, the depth of Turner’s past was no less harrowing.
Turner herself was portrayed by Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi whose vocals were truly outstanding and bared an uncanny resemblance to the recognisable tones of the original hits. At times N’Zuzi’s diction left me wanting clarity as she grappled with the difficulty of Turner’s speaking voice against her own French roots. Young Turner, at that stage known by Anna-Mae Bullock was portrayed by Chloe Angiama and her performance was a personal favourite of mine. Her raw talent and voice shone and allowed for a beautiful juxtaposition to the gritty and power of N’Zuzi’s performances as the show progressed.
Turner’s back catalogue is truly legendary and the musical provided an incredible reminder of her range and body of work which now remain firmly implanted in my brain as a soundtrack to my day. The performances were equally captivating and the emotion overflowed at those pivotal moments. A personal highlight was ‘I don’t wanna fight’ which led us beautifully to the interval. Emotion was leaking from every member of the company on stage and the performances felt entirely real.
The end came around all too quickly, if not a little abruptly, but doing so led to the most incredible finale. The staging left the whole audience feeling (and acting!) like a crowd at a concert. The atmosphere was electric and left me with the most incredible high. Intended to emulate the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the band were on stage, the lights were blinding and every audience member revelled in the pure entertainment.
To experience the musical fun for yourself, head to www.atgtickets.com to book tickets. TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is running until the 26th April with plenty more theatrical delights upcoming at the Hippodrome.
For those looking to extend the festivities, why not start the night with an early dinner at The Square Club, just a short walk down Park Street from Berkeley Square down to the theatre. Then end the night in luxury by treat yourself to the sumptuous Berkeley Suites, recently awarded the Condé Nast Award for Excellence. We can’t think of a better way to end a glorious evening at the Hippodrome.
Photo Credit: Johan Persson
