Tina Turner Musical, Edinburgh Playhouse****: a raw, powerful story of a rock icon
The sound of the very first beat of ‘Simply The Best’ created a buzz across the theatre.
But anyone expecting a feel-good musical jukebox of a show was in for a very different experience.
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is powerful, but it is also difficult to watch at times as it takes a deep dive into the remarkable, and often harrowing, life of the legendary singer.
It would have been all too easy to create a sing-along style show, tracing her journey from the Ike & Tina Turner review to Proud Mary, River Deep, Mountain High, on to the Vegas years and then the triumphant comeback as the undisputed queen of rock ‘n’ roll - you really cannot go wrong with such a stellar body of work.
But Turner herself wanted this show to tell her full story, and so, no sooner had the thundering intro to Simply The Best faded, than we were back in the rural Nutbush of her childhood and a Gospel tinged Nutbush City Limits, and starting at the very beginning.
Abandoned by her mother, she met Ike in a club and became the powerhouse vocalist in his rolling review, which toured relentlessly, and also his wife, enduring years of his horrific behaviour - controlling, violent, malevolent - which this show does not shy away from. Watching the singer being physically dragged round the stage was tough indeed. It was raw, and utterly unflinching.
The story of her escape with just dimes in her pocket, and determination to forge a career brings her to London and a meeting with Heaven17 which begins an astonishing period of her life which leads to Grammy awards, record breaking concert crowds and on to Live Aid and her electrifying duet with Mick Jagger.
Elle Ma-Kinga N'Zuzi is sensational as Tina, capturing her instantly recognisable moves as well as her fiery stage presence, while David King_Yombo portrays the deep darkness of Ike so powerfully his bow is a mix of applause and boos.
They are backed by a superb cast and a live band which rightly takes its bow as this show ends with a mini live concert which delivers a high-octane finale to send everyone buzzing into the night. Turner’s songs are as powerful as ever, her story even more so.
> Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is at the Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh, until November 22. Ticket info here.