The Tina Turner Musical at Aldwych theatre has been playing since 2018.
The show takes you on a journey through the iconic singer’s life. You may be familiar with Tina’s story. From being a lifelong fan, watching her 1993 Oscar-nominated biographical film What’s Love Got to Do With It, to hearing various references to Tina and Ike in countless Hip Hop and RnB songs.
However, knowing Tina was involved in the musical’s creative process leaves you eager to witness her story first-hand.
Experience the Tina Turner Musical at Aldwych Theatre
You anticipate a night filled with powerful music as you enter the theatre. Still, you also brace yourself for the portrayal of some troubling themes of domestic abuse. But you know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel—a brighter future for Tina once she escapes those ‘Ike days’.
Growing up in Tennessee
The show begins by transporting you back to Tennessee in the 1940s and 1950s, where the young Anna Mae Bullock, Tina Turner’s birth name, grew up.
You witness her tumultuous childhood of feeling unwanted and unloved by her parents and moving to live with her strict grandparents. She finds solace in singing in churches under the stage name Little Ann and crosses paths with Ike Turner.
Little Ann joins Ike’s band to find an escape and a sense of belonging she’s desperately been seeking.
The Ike days
At this point, the show’s been hard to watch. You’ve seen Little Ann suffer as a child, yet know there’s worse to come for Tina.
In Ike’s band, he gives her a new stage name Tina Turner. They marry shortly after.
In the 1960s, the band is touring, performing and achieving success. But as Tina’s popularity grows, so do Ike’s insecurities, which turn him violent.
The musical doesn’t shy away from the ugly truths of Tina and Ike’s relationship but does exercise restraint.
There are scenes of Ike hitting Tina, but it doesn’t go into the graphic details of Ike’s physical abuse. In interviews, Tina shared harrowing details of the injuries she suffered at Ike’s hands, from having hot coffee thrown in her face, having her nose used as a punching bag, to constantly being left with a black eye and a broken jaw. She even contemplated suicide.
With the musical mindful of its family-friendly audience (suitable for ages 14 and above) and Tina having expressed forgiving Ike, it focuses more on Ike’s financial control over her rather than the physical violence.
In writing the show, Tina mentioned her desire to portray the abusive relationship while also humanising Ike—a testament to her character and the remarkable woman she was.
Starting afresh
After breaking free from Ike’s grip (Tina finally leaves him one night while he’s asleep in a hotel room in Dallas), Tina tries to make it on her own.
In the 1970s, Tina is scraping by as a Las Vegas singer. She’s unable to sing the band’s songs that Ike owns the copyrights to, and he even claims ownership of her stage name.
Meanwhile, record labels won’t sign her; at almost 40, she’s seen as past her prime.
But with the help of Australian music producer Roger Davies, Tina’s solo career begins to take flight. It leads her to meet Erwin Bach, the German music executive who becomes her love and rock in life.
Despite their cultural and age differences (Erwin is 16 years her junior), Tina, at age 47, finds the love she deserves.
Breaking barriers
Throughout the musical, you’re treated to an array of Tina’s greatest hits, including Proud Mary, Disco Inferno, Private Dancer, The Best and many more. It was never going to be a show strapped for sensational songs.
The show has a concert-like energy, drawing you into Tina’s electrifying performances.
In the final scenes, Tina emerges, embodying the rock persona for which she is best known. With her trademark blonde hair and a short leather dress accentuating her legendary legs, you witness a woman who has risen from the ashes to reach unimaginable heights.
Tina shattered barriers and inspired generations of women, from openly addressing domestic abuse during a time when it wasn’t openly talked about to reinventing herself, in her 40s, as a black Queen of Rock’ n’ Roll. She even found the courage to love again.
While Tina sadly passed away on 24 May 2023, her legacy lives on in the West End. She’ll be remembered for her ability to reinvent herself on her terms. A story like Tina’s shows us how we can all shape our destiny.
The Tina Turner Musical at Aldwych Theatre, London WC2B 4DF is playing until 31 May 2025.