Rolan Bell, Zoe Birkett and Karis Anderson for Tina – The Tina Turner Musical. Picture: Dan Kennedy
Two new principal cast members will join the hit West End production of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical next month.
Recently installed as the longest-running show to play at the Aldwych Theatre, from 25 June the current Tina, Karis Anderson (Motown, UK tour, Whitney – Queen of the Night, tour) will share the role with newcomer Zoe Birkett (The Witches, National Theatre, The Bodyguard, UK tour). They will star opposite Olivier Award winner Rolan Bell (Memphis, Shaftesbury Theatre, The Play That Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre) who will join the cast to play Ike Turner.
Announcing the new cast members, producer Tali Pelman said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Zoe and Rolan will be joining Karis to lead our company from 25 June. Having just celebrated our sixth birthday in the West End, we continue to be extremely proud of the whole company who tell Tina’s incredible story and blow the roof off the Aldwych Theatre eight shows a week!”
Until 22 June, the title role will continue to be shared by Anderson and Elesha Paul Moses (Whitney: Queen of the Night and Tina: What’s Love Got To Do With It, international tours) with Okezie Morro (Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Talawa/National Theatre, To Kill a Mockingbird, Manchester Royal Exchange) co-starring as Ike Turner.
The cast also includes: Mark Anderson as record producer Phil Spector and lyricist Terry Britten; Jonathan Carlton as record company marketing manager Erwin Bach; Vanessa Dumatey as Tina’s sister, Alline Bullock; Irene Myrtle Forrester as Tina’s Grandmother, GG; Earl Gregory as Tina’s father, Richard Bullock; Harry Harrington as Tina’s manager Roger Davies; Emma Hatton as Ike and Tina’s manager, Rhonda Graam; Jarius McClanahan as Tina’s first love, Raymond Hill; and Carole Stennett as Tina’s mother, Zelma.
Lauren Allan plays Toni, with Turrell Barrett-Wallace as Tina’s son Ronnie, Joey James as Tina’s son Craig, Zara Macintosh as Lorraine and Thomas Sutcliffe as Carpenter. The Ikettes are played by Morgan Broome, Amara Campbell and Abiola Efunshile and swings are Richard Appiah-Sarpong, Jenna Bonner, Ana Cardoso, Junior Delius, Livvy Evans, Ewan Grant, Imogen Rose Hart, Llewellyn Jamal, Amy Punter, Ellie Seaton and Samuel J Weir.
The children’s cast includes Janai Bartlett, Shyanne Ononiwu and Ezmai Robinson as Young Anna Mae Bullock; Melody Caruana, Tamilore Lawson and Tahlia Olarewaju as Young Alline Bullock; and Ayden Beale, Ezra Williamson and Jamal Watson-Ramsay as Young Craig.
Written by award-winning writer Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, the critic and crowd-pleasing story of the superstar singer received its world premiere at the Aldwych Theatre in 2018 where it has broken all box office records.
Tina – The Tina Turner Musical can currently be seen on tour in both North America and Australia where it has just finished a sell-out season at Theatre Royal Sydney. In March 2019, the German production opened at Stage Operettenhaus in Hamburg and is currently running in Stuttgart at the Apollo Theatre.
The Broadway production opened in November 2019 and was nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The Dutch production opened at the Beatrix Theater, Utrecht in February 2020 and a third European production opened in Autumn of 2021 at the Teatro Coliseum in Madrid, Spain.
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, the show’s creative team also includes choreographer Anthony van Last; set and costume designer Mark Thompson; musical supervisor Nicholas Skilbeck; lighting designer Bruno Poet; sound designer Nevin Steinberg, projection designer Jeff Sugg; and orchestrator Ethan Popp.
Angela Thomas
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