Tina Turner musical to end on West End as Strictly star joins final cast

Daily Mirror

14-05-2025

The Aldwych Theatre in London's West End has been home to Tina - the Tina Turner Musical for seven years but Fleur East and Karis Anderson will lead its final cast later this year
The musical depicting Tina Turner's life and career in the West End will end this year. It comes following the news of a cast change, with a former Strictly Come Dancing star set to be part of the final line-up.
Tina - The Tina Turner Musical has run at the Aldwych Theatre in London for seven years, after having debuted at the theatre in 2018. The production of the show, which tells the "untold story" of Tina Turner 's rise to stardom alongside her music, is, however, set to end on September 13.
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The news comes following the announcement last month that Fleur East, 37, is joining the cast. The performer - who paid tribute to Tina on Strictly in 2023, a year after she competed on the BBC show - will make her debut in June.
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Between June 24 until the final show, Fleur will share the title role with current cast member Karis Anderson, 35, with the radio host performing at select performances during that period. Karis has portrayed the late singer in the show since 2023 and shares the role with Zoe Birkett, 39, who will leave prior to Fleur's debut over the summer, at the moment.
Producers confirmed that the jukebox musical will conclude its West End production in five months time on social media yesterday. They expressed gratitude to fans for their support over the years and noted that the show is continuing to "elate audiences" in productions elsewhere.
The news was shared alongside a statement from a producer. A post on the show's Instagram account read: "After 7 triumphant years, Tina - The Tina Turner Musical will be playing it's final West End performance on Saturday 13 September 2025.
"Thank you to each and every one of you who has celebrated Tina Turner's life with us over the years. We are delighted that the show is selling out on tour across the UK and Ireland and continues to elate audiences in productions across North America, Europe and around the world."
Tali Pelman, one of the producers, said: "Celebrating and sharing Tina's legacy has meant so much to all of us who have been working on this show over the last decade. We are proud to have fulfilled Tina's dream for the musical, which was to serve not only as a reminder of her work but as the beating heart of her empowering message."
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The producer went on to confirm that Fleur and Karis will be part of the final West End cast. Tali said: "London, this will be a summer of celebration, led by our glorious duo of Karis Anderson and Fleur East in our final West End cast."
Following the announcement, fans took to the comments section to share their thoughts. One response to the post on Instagram read: "We're so sad! What an amazing musical with so much heart and soul. Let's see it out in style!"
Another said: "This is so sad. One of my favourite shows to watch when I visit London! You've built a brilliant legacy." Someone else wrote: "Sad to hear this - I thought it would run longer. Sending all the amazing cast a big hug."
It wasn't just fans who reacted to the post though, with some actors connected to the production also reaching out. Among them was Karis who shared emojis depicting hands in the shape of hearts, whilst Fleur put heart emojis.