Tina - The Tina Turner Musical

                                                        Review of Tina - The Tina The Musical

Take a rag to riches story of a child with a difficult upbringing who finds fame, but at a huge personal cost, and after years of abuse leaves her husband with only 36 cents to her name.  Starting again with nothing and struggling to pay her bills and feed her children, she makes it, finding success on a much higher level, and finds true love alongside her success.  This could be Hollywood at it's best, but it is actually the true story of Anne Mae Bullock, or as she is better known, Tina Turner, and this is the story behind Tina, the Tina Turner Musical.

Nkeki Obi-Melekwe is superb as Tina.  She manages to convey the innocence of the young Tina, the scared wife of Ike, and the strong woman who survives and flourishes as an independent solo artist.

The strength of  Tina's character and her resilience shines through.  Nkeki's voice is deep and gravelly as she sings all the classics.

Alongside Nkeki, Ashely Zhangazha is Ike Turner, the man who discovers Tina and goes on to marry her.  The show does not shy away from the reality of his relationship with Tina and it is another strong performance.

There are many important people in Tina's life, from her sister, her two sons, her manager Rhonda, the legendary Phil Spectre and Erwin Bach to name but a few.  All the people who have had an impact on her are here to fill in the gaps and the whole cast gives a strong performance.

I really enjoyed the show.  It was moving, funny and searingly honest.  The musical performances are fantastic and some of the choreography makes you exhausted just watching it!  A couple of sing-along songs at the end left the audience buzzing and I would highly recommend seeing the show.

Currently playing at the Aldwych Theatre, bookings are being taken until January 2020.

For more information or to book tickets visit https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/tina-musical-tickets

Review - Man of La Mancha

Man of La Mancha

With an impressive cast in the setting of the beautiful London Coliseum, I went to see the Man of La Mancha as the show returns to the West End for the first time in fifty years.

The musical tells a story within a story as Miguel De Cervantes / Don Quixote (Kelsey Grammer) is imprisoned with his servant Sancho Panza (Peter Plolycarpou) awaiting trial during the Spanish Inquisition.  As the other prisoners try to steal his belongings he fights to keep his precious manuscript, and in order to do this, he tells them the story of Alonso Quijano, who believes he is the knight Don Quixote.  This leads us into the adventures of the man who pursues the beautiful Dulcinea (Danielle de Niese) fighting for his love and following the path he believes to be true.  Moving between the reality of the prison and the imagined world of Don Quixote is confusing in the beginning with a variety of different characters introduced, but this does settle down.

Overall there is a slow start to the show as Grammer persuades the Captain / Innkeeper (Nicholas Lyndhurst) to let him tell his tale, and really only picks up momentum before the interval.  However, the second half made up for this.  Danielle de Niese's brings vibrancy and strength to her character and her voice is beautiful as she outshines all the other performers on the stage.  Peter Polycarpou's role is limited but he ensures he brings all the humour he can from his character.

The one song everyone knows from this musical is the Impossible Dream and although Grammer does his best, it is obvious that he does not come from a musical theatre background.  However when it is repeated at the end of the play, there is a poignancy to the piece that gives the play a fitting ending.

The show is playing for a very limited season from 1st May until 8th June.

For bookings visit to https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk