Review: Tina Turner’s story will rock you at Milton Keynes Theatre

The West End smash is in the city until Saturday, February 7 and fans of the singer, dubbed the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll”, are bound to view this production as Simply The Best way to spend an evening.

Most of us will be familiar with hits like River Deep Mountain High, Private Dancer and What’s Love Got To Do With It, but this musical is so much more than a greatest hits showcase.

I was totally unaware of Tina Turner’s background (real name Anna Mae Bullock) and the hurdles she had to overcome en-route to achieving her dreams. It was a real eye-opener, in fact quite harrowing to watch at times.

Apparently the singer, who died back in May 2023, was heavily involved in the creation of the musical and, as the glossy programme pointed out, she “wanted to ensure that we told her whole story, not only to share her success and her iconic music, but the major challenges she had to overcome in her life”.

After moving to St Louis, we see how she grabbed a microphone and started singing during an intermission at a show of future husband Ike Turner. He recognised her talent, gave her a stage name, and she joined his band.

A sign of the trouble to come is when we see early glimpses of Ike’s temper and aggression when she tries to give some musical input.

David King-Yombo as Ike was really convincing as an unpleasant control freak who spent most of Act One lashing out at Tina, his staff and eventually their son. His performance was compelling and some of the chilling moments saw a hush descend on the theatre at the realism of the scenes.

After putting up with years of abuse, Tina (played on Wednesday evening by Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi – who is sharing the role with Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy) finally escapes his clutches after a violent struggle.

The lighting for the scene where she runs away is exceptional and then there’s a hard-hitting moment where we can clearly see her face and chest are now covered in blood from the beating.

The show certainly pulls no punches, whether it be racist cops/record label executives, or a motel owner who won’t let the band stay in his rooms due to the colour of their skin. There’s also a moment where Tina overdoses on sleeping pills due to Ike’s behaviour, and the battle to win any affection from her mother is a reoccurring theme.

Having broken free, Act Two shows how she struggled for money after Ike’s lawyers stopped her from performing any of the hits they had sung together. It meant she had to find new music and was only too pleased to ditch sad soul songs for some rock ‘n’ roll.

She chances her arm in London where she’s shown a demo of What’s Love Got To Do With It, but isn’t convinced it's a song that’ll get her back on track – watch out for the hilarious scene where a record producer Terry Britten admits he “doesn’t have the range” to do the song justice when he tries to sing it.

But back on track she does get... and it all leads to a stunning recreation of her record-breaking, sold-out concert for over 180,000 fans at Brazil’s Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro during her Break Every Rule tour.

We’re then treated to a finale of songs, with one or two surprises thrown in for the audience. Elle had done a great job as our star throughout the evening, but this was where she really cut loose and gave us the full Tina experience, full of energy and passion.

Even if you’re not a Tina Turner fan, the compelling story of her life means this is a show you shouldn’t miss. Book your tickets now at ATGTICKETS.COM/MiltonKeynes.