It’ll be simply the best! Australian triple threat and multi-platinum selling performer Tim Omaji will be playing Ike Turner in West End hit TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL. The show is premiering at the Theatre Royal Sydney in May 2023.
Tim will play Ike Turner opposite rising star Ruva Ngwena, who has been cast in the role of Tina Turner.
Tim Omaji is an Australian of Nigerian heritage who is an actor, singer-songwriter and dancer, and who has performed to great success on both stage and screen.
Tim’s theatre credits include Moulin Rouge! The Musical, the standout role of Benny in the critically acclaimed In The Heights, and the lead role of Tyrone Jackson in Fame The Musical.
His other impressive credits include Sam Onatou in the Australian tour of MADIBA The Musical – A Celebration of the Life of Nelson Mandela, Monty in the Australia tour of Saturday Night Fever and the charming Benny in RENT for the Sydney Opera House.
You may have spotted him on the telly, too. Tim rose to fame as a stand-out dance contestant on So You Think You Can Dance Australia, and as a powerful singing contestant on Australia’s Got Talent. As Timomatic, Tim signed with Sony Music Australia and went on to become a four-time platinum recording artist and a Logie-nominated Judge on Australia’s Got Talent.
“I am humbled and excited to step into the role of Ike Turner,” said Tim. “The Tina Turner story is one of triumph over immense tragedy and I am honoured to take up the gauntlet from the amazing Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, who won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ike in the original West End production.”
TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is a comeback story like no other, of a woman who dared to defy the bounds of her age, gender and race to become the global Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Produced by Paul Dainty/TEG DAINTY in special collaboration with Stage Entertainment, Tali Pelman and Tina Turner, the show is celebration of resilience and an inspiration of triumph over adversity.
The show received its world premiere in April 2018 in London’s West End, where it opened to five-star reviews and continues to break box office records at the Aldwych Theatre. It has since played on Broadway and travelled to Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, and North America.
One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, Tina Turner has won 12 Grammy Awards and her live shows have been seen by millions, with more concert tickets sold than any other solo performer in music history.
When she was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in October, 2021, Tina Turner became one of only three women in the institution’s history to be inducted twice (she was initially inducted in 1991, alongside Ike Turner).
TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is written by Tony Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize winner Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins. The show is directed by Tony Award nominee Phyllida Lloyd, with choreography by Tony Award nominee Anthony van Laast.
Related
Film Review: La Bola Negra
Jimmy Barnes headlines stacked Sounds By The River line-up for Mannum
World’s best wildlife photography is returning to Adelaide’s indoor rainforest with Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition
