Tina

To complete my bunch of theatre visits to musicals as delayed presents for Christmas and birthdays long past,  Kay and I went to see the Tina Turner show at the Aldwych Theatre in London this week. 

It was an incredibly good production with some fantastic music. It tells the life story of Tina from a little girl called Anna Mae who loved singing out loud in church, much to her mother's embarrassment, through to when she met Ike Turner who changed her name to Tina, the cruel way Ike treated her, her break from him and her musical success on her own. The 9-year-old who played the little Anna Mae was outstanding and was a livewire herself. Fleur East who won the UK X-Factor in 2005 played the adult Tina. Her voice and energy were electrifying. Of course there were all the favourite numbers like River Deep Mountain High, Proud Mary, What's Love Got To Do With It and Simply The Best. The cast got the audience to stand up in the last few minutes to sing along to the several encores, so that by the time of the final curtain, we were all buzzing.

I can thoroughly recommend it, although don't wait too long to see it - it finishes in London on 13 September, although I understand there is a UK tour.