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REVIEW
What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Brand New Show Celebrating Tina Turner is Heading
to Southend's Cliffs Pavilion on Tuesday 26th February 2019
​
✭✭✭✭☆ 4/5
BY ANDREW WALTERS
Tribute acts are a very popular form of entertainment these days! The chances are, if you go on holiday to a warm climate this summer, you will be offered a show featuring one of your favourite “stars”, whether it be at a lively seafront bar, at your hotel, or somewhere more
glamorous.  I’ve seen a fair few in these circumstances, and am always surprised how good these acts can be.

If you are going to take your show on a 12 month, nationwide tour to all the top venues in the UK, you will have to be good, in fact, the best.....simply the best even!! Last night, the Cliffs was packed out for this latest “ Tribute” show, this time featuring the music of Tina Turner.

What the audience got was a slick and spectacular staging, featuring a superb ten piece band, 3 backing vocalist/dancers, and the very talented Elesha Paul Moses as the great Tina herself.  I need to make it clear that I am not a particular fan of Tina Turner, but I was certainly interested to hear some of her songs. We all have an image of the great icon that she is in our minds, so the big question is......does this show deliver on the big “ Tina “ experience?  Well.... the answer to that would be....yes and no.

There is no denying that Elesha is in her own right a very fine performer. She has a very impressive set of pipes indeed, and belted her way through the whole Tina catalogue, only leaving the stage briefly to change costume. She is a very strong singer, but somehow I felt that something was missing. Elesha is well known for performing in another Tribute show featuring the songs of Whitney Houston. She looks very like Whitney physically, and I can imagine that she is a knockout in that show, but as Tina Turner, she does not quite deliver the thrill-factor. She is efficient, but her impersonation needs to grow. During the first half at least, I felt she was too polite. I understand that the show doesn’t want to deliver a caricature, but I felt the performance needed to be bigger, and funnier. She needs bigger wigs, bigger costumes, and better patter too. I lost count of how many times she asked us if we were “ having a good time.”

However, things improved greatly in the second half, and Elesha looked so much better in a sexy leather outfit, then we finally got the iconic red dress, legs up to her armpits, and the whole show went up a big gear for the final section, featuring all the biggest crowd pleasing hits.  By the time we hit “ Simply The Best, the whole audience was on their feet, and Tina was in the house!

There is fine support from a very talented band, including a very eye-catching lady on saxophone and percussion, but in particular the backing vocalists, including the jaw-droppingly talented Amarra Smith, who, in one solo number, effortlessly won the audience over and stole the show for me. Now THAT is a star performer. If I was singing Tina, I’d be worried about leaving the stage to her....

Despite the small problems I have listed, you leave the show feeling bowled over by the amazing song collection that Tina Turner has given us all over her 50 years of performing, and thoroughly entertained by a very talented and hard working company of musicians. Full marks for sound and lighting too. It was a pleasure to be able to hear the songs at full blast, but not deafened!
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WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? TOUR DATES 2019
February     
Wed 27th EDINBURGH, USHER HALL  
Thu 28th GLASGOW, KING'S THEATRE
March   
Fri 1st ABERDEEN, MUSIC HALL
Sat 16th DARLINGTON, HIPPODROME
Thu 21st BRADFORD, ST GEORGES HALL
Wed 27th PORTSMOUTH, GUILDHALL
Fri 29th HULL, CITY HALL
April   
Thu 18th SHEFFIELD, CITY HALL
May   
Wed 1st COVENTRY, BELGRADE THEATRE
Fri 31st DARTFORD, ORCHARD THEATRE
June    
Sat 1st HODDESDON, THE SPOTLIGHT
Sat 8th HUDDERSFIELD, TOWN HALL  
Thu 13th MALVERN, FORUM THEATRE
Sat 15th BASINGSTOKE, THE ANVIL
Sun 16th CANTERBURY, MARLOWE THEATRE
Sat 22nd TORQUAY, PRINCESS THEATRE
Thu 27th NEW BRIGHTON, FLORAL PAVILION THEATRE
Fri 28th CARLISLE, THE SANDS CENTRE
Sat 29th NOTTINGHAM, ROYAL CONCERT HALL
July  
Thurs 11th HORNCHURCH, QUEENS THEATRE
Sat 20th BLACKPOOL, OPERA HOUSE
Sun 21st SUNDERLAND, EMPIRE THEATRE 
Sun 28th CROYDON, ASHCROFT THEATRE 
September
Fri 13th CARDIFF, ST DAVIDS HALL 
Fri 20th MANCHESTER, BRIDGEWATER HALL 
Sat 28th BRIDLINGTON, BRIDLINGTON SPA 
October    
Wed 2nd LEICESTER, DE MONTFORT HALL 
Thu 3rd HORSHAM, CAPITOL THEATRE 
Fri 4th BOURNEMOUTH, PAVILION THEATRE
Sat 5th LLANELLI, Y FFWRNES 
Fri 11th DONCASTER, THE DOME
Thur 17th DERBY, DERBY ARENA 
Fri 18th BATH, THE FORUM 
Sat 19th SALISBURY, CITY HALL 
November    
Sat 9th HIGH WYCOMBE, WYCOMBE SWAN
Sun 10th RICHMOND, RICHMOND THEATRE
Fri 15th HARROGATE, ROYAL HALL 
Thu 28th MARGATE, WINTER GARDENS 
Fri 29th CAMBRIDGE, CORN EXCHANGE
December    
Wed 4th SWANSEA, GRAND THEATRE 
Sat 14th WORTHING, ASSEMBLY HALL

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