REVIEW: Proud Mary moments and painful truths in Tina Turner’s unforgettable stage story

A powerful portrayal of the rock legend's life hits all the right notes in Manchester.

The Palace Theatre’s latest offering, Tina, the Tina Turner Musical, is far more than a celebration of chart-topping hits. It’s a fierce, unflinching biography that charts the extraordinary journey of a woman who defied the odds to become one of the world’s greatest performers.

Opening to a packed audience, the production lays bare the painful truths behind Tina Turner’s public success. This is no sanitised tribute. From the racially segregated Deep South to a turbulent relationship with Ike Turner, the show confronts themes of racism, domestic abuse, coercive control, and poverty without flinching.

As someone who has loved Tina Turner as an artist for years, this show struck a particularly emotional chord. Her talent has always been undeniable, but learning the extent of her personal suffering and the abuse she endured adds a harrowing perspective. It is a stark reminder of what can happen behind closed doors, and how deeply people can suffer in silence.

There are moments within the performance that are overwhelmingly powerful. You are reminded that this is a story rooted in a time of brutal segregation, where even as a child, Tina was forced to pick cotton. At one particular point in the show, I felt such a surge of emotion that I physically couldn’t make an audible noise, despite wanting to clap. The weight of it all rendered me speechless.

As the older Tina, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy delivered a performance full of fire and fragility. Her portrayal mirrored not only the iconic star’s trademark stage presence but also the emotional complexity behind the powerhouse vocals. From the delicate early scenes in Tennessee to the explosive comeback of the 1980s, MacCarthy captured Turner’s evolution with stunning accuracy.

David King-Yombo’s portrayal of Ike Turner is appropriately unsettling, with just enough humanity to reflect the manipulative charm that masked his abusive nature. His scenes added a disturbing realism to a show that refuses to gloss over trauma.

Sophia St Louis, playing young Anna Mae Bullock, gave a performance full of warmth and promise, anchoring the story with a childlike innocence that underscored the weight of later scenes.

What sets this musical apart from others in its genre is its ability to maintain intensity while packing in over 20 songs, from ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ to ‘The Best’. It never drifts into feel-good nostalgia for its own sake. Even at its most joyful, there’s a clear sense that every note has been earned.

Tina, the Tina Turner Musical runs until Saturday, 3 January. Tickets available at https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/tina-the-tina-turner-musical/palace-theatre-manchester/
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