KARIS ANDERSON & ZOE BIRKETT TO PLAY TINA TUNER
ROLAN BELL TO PLAY IKE TURNER IN
T I N A – T H E T I N A T U R N E R M U S I C A L
The hit West End production TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL which is based on the life of legendary artist Tina Turner and was produced in association with Tina Turner herself, announces new principal cast members joining the musical, which has been running in the West End for 6 years, making it the longest running show ever to run at the Aldwych Theatre.
From Tuesday 25 June 2024 Karis Anderson, who is currently starring as Tina Turner, will share the role with new cast member Zoe Birkett. Rolan Bell will join the show to play Ike Turner.
Further new cast members to be announced.
Producer Tali Pelman said “We are absolutely thrilled that Zoe and Rolan will be joining Karis to lead our company from 25th June. Having just celebrated our 6th 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 8 shows a week!”
TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is a global success with 8 productions having opened worldwide since 2018 and a new UK and Ireland tour beginning March 2025. Developed in London together with Tina Turner, the critically acclaimed production received its world premiere in April 2018 and has subsequently broken all Box Office records at the Aldwych Theatre.
Karis Anderson has been playing the role of Tina Turner since June 2023 and was previously a member of the ensemble. Her other theatre credits include Diana Ross in Motown (UK Tour), PP Arnold in All Or Nothing (Ambassadors) and Genie of the Lamp in Aladdin (Jordan Productions). In January 2011 Karis joined the girl band Stooshe and after a year in development they broke on to the UK music scene with the release of their first pop single, Love Me, featuring American rapper Travie McCoy. Stooshe achieved rapid success with their monster song, Black Heart spending over 16 weeks in the Official UK Charts and receiving a nomination for “Best British single” at the 2013 BRIT Awards, up against some of the biggest names in the industry such as Adele. They went on to tour with female super houses such as J-Lo and Nicki Minaj and made various TV appearances including The Jonathon Ross show & Top of the Pops.
Zoe Birkett most recently appeared in Roald Dahl’s The Witches at the National Theatre after playing the lead role of Rachael Marron in The Bodyguard UK Tour. She was an original member of the West End cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical playing the role of Arabia, for which she won a BroadwayWorld UK award for ‘Best Supporting Performer in a Musical.’ Zoe’s other West End theatre credits include The Great British Bake Off Musical (Noël Coward Theatre), Priscilla Queen Of The Desert (Palace Theatre), Hair (Munich & Piccadilly Theatre), Tommy(Prince Edward Theatre), Rent (Greenwich Theatre)as well as originating the female lead in Thriller Live (Lyric Theatre and International tour). Prior to her time in musical theatre, Zoe’s career began at 16 years old, when she captivated the nation on ITV’s talent show Pop Idol. As the highest placing female contestant on the show, she was signed by Simon Fuller’s 19 Management and her solo single Get Happy went straight to number one in the charts. She has presented for the Top of the Pops Awards, CD:UK and ITV’s Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and last year hosted the UK Theatre Awards. Zoe performed at the Royal Albert Hall singing alongside Annie Lennox and performing live with a twenty-piece orchestra for the BBC’s landmark coverage of the 60th VE Day celebrations in London’s Trafalgar Square, where she entertained crowds of over 25,000 people.
Rolan Bell was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2015 for his portrayal of Delray in Memphis at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre. His other theatre credits include Robert in The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess Theatre, West End), Earnest in Shebeen (Nottingham Playhouse), King Gerald in Rapunzel (Park Theatre), Britney Spears in We Will Rock You (West End/International Tour), Coalhouse Walker in Ragtime (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), the title role of Fela (National Theatre), Jessie Owens in 1936 by Tom McNab (Arcola Theatre), Ivan in The Harder They Come (Barbican/Playhouse Theatre, West End), Mr Haywood in An African Cargo (Nitro), Morrell/Huskly Miller in Carmen Jones (Royal Festival Hall), Ivan in The Harder They Come (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Scar in The Lion King (Paris) and Wayne/Sergeant in The Canterville Ghost (Southwark Playhouse). His TV credits include: Pandora (CW), Our Girl Seasons 2-4 (BBC), Krypton (Syfy), Home Alone (October Films), Scott & Bailey Series 5, Doctors, WPC 56, and Eastenders (all BBC). His film credits include: Pretty Red Dress (BBC Films), Morbius (Marvel / Colombia Pictures), and Goodbye Christopher Robin (Fox Searchlight Pictures).
Until 22 June, the show stars Karis Anderson and Elesha Paul Moses sharing the role of Tina and Okezie Morro as Ike Turner. With Mark Anderson as Record Producer Phil Spector and Lyricist Terry Britten, Jonathan Carlton as record company Marketing Manager Erwin Bach, Vanessa Dumatey asTina’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, Jairus McClanahan as Tina’s first love Raymond Hill and Carole Stennett as Tina’s mother Zelma.
Ensemble members are Lauren Allan as Toni, 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 swingsare 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.
Children’s casting 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.
Discover the heart and soul behind the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll at TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL, the undeniable mega hit in London’s West End. Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her most beloved hits, experience Tina Turner’s triumphant story live on stage as this exhilarating celebration reveals the woman that dared to dream fiercely, shatter barriers, and conquer the world—against all odds.
TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL opened at the Aldwych Theatre on London’s West End in 2018 before a global roll-out that brought the show to sold-out audiences across the world. In North America, the Broadway production opened in November 2019 and was nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical and can currently be seen across the continent on tour. In Europe, TINA has had productions at Stage Operettenhaus in Hamburg, Germany, the Apollo Theater in Stuttgart, Germany, the Beatrix Theater in Utrecht, Netherlands and at the Teatro Coliseum in Madrid, Spain. TINA can also be seen currently touring across Australia, having just finished a sell-out season at Theatre Royal Sydney.
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is choreographed by Anthony van Laast, with set and costume designs by Mark Thompson, musical supervision by Nicholas Skilbeck, lighting by Bruno Poet,sound by Nevin Steinberg, projection design by Jeff Sugg, orchestrations by Ethan Popp, wigs, hair and makeup design by Campbell Young Associates, casting by Pippa Ailion CDG and Natalie Gallacher CDG and fight direction by Kate Waters.
TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is produced in the West End by Stage Entertainment, Joop van den Ende and Tali Pelman, in association with Tina Turner.
Produced by Stage Entertainment and Ghostlight Records and featuring the original London cast, TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL: Original Cast Recording is available worldwide on CD, both online and in stores. The CD features a 20-page booklet, which includes liner notes, synopsis, and production and studio photography. The album was recorded in February 2019 at Angel Studios and RAK Studios, produced by the show’s Music Supervisor Nicholas Skilbeck and Kurt Deutsch, and co-produced by Tom Kelly. To download or stream the album, or order the CD www.ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/riverdeep-tinaturnermusical
TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is dedicated to the memory of Tina Turner, who sadly passed away in May 2023.