BWW Reviews: SOUL SISTER, Bristol Hippodrome, July 1 2013

The crowds outside the Bristol Hippodrome this evening were a mixed bunch, yet each person heading in to take their seat was exuding a certain buzz, that unmistakable vibe radiated by folks preparing for an evening of well-known songs and glitzy entertainment. The house was packed, and it was hard not to get swept up in the rather electric atmosphere as the concert-like opening number began. Soul Sister - billed as a brand new musical inspired by the music, life and times of Ike and Tina Turner - takes audiences on a journey from Tina Turner's early years as Anna Mae Bullock through to her glory days of international fame and success.

Jenny Fitzpatrick certainly embraced Tina Turner's characteristic physicality and executed it with aplomb, but it was her voice that impressed the most. Throughout the show she demonstrated her impressive and versatile vocals, switching with ease from powerful, belty songs such as River Deep, Mountain High, to bluesy numbers and ballads. One of the most heartfelt and emotional moments of the evening came during a song that I, as a Tina Turner novice, didn't even know she had covered - Help. Fitzpatrick delivered the song with a beautiful soulfulness and desperation beyond her years, completely drawing the audience in.

Fitzpatrick's leading man, Chris Tummings, gave a strong and convincing performance as Ike Turner, Tina's passionate and short-tempered husband, and the on-stage band-members were bursting with talent. Double thumbs-up and serious amounts of kudos to the entire cast for their unrelenting energy, particularly in numbers such as Shake a Tail Feather and Proud Mary - I felt exhausted just watching them up there. Ladies, if you want strong and super-toned legs this summer, then my recommendation would be to bust out some classic Tina Turner moves with a sprinkling of Jason Pennycooke choreography and you've got yourself a winner.

I did feel for the female ensemble having to go from the energy-zapping Proud Mary straight into Honky Tonk Woman, without so much as a pause for breath - it was clear that this transition was a struggle, although the vocalists held it together to produce some lovely harmonies. This particular segment would benefit from a bit of reworking to ensure that the song is not thrown away and lost.

Overall I felt that the first act, although well sung, was a little slow, and gave the impression that the producers and directors were perhaps simply trying to cram as many songs in as possible for the sake of it. The second act was a different story, with the strong dynamic between Fitzpatrick and Tummings really coming through and driving the better-placed musical numbers.

Although I've mulled it over, I'm still not quite sure what my final thoughts are regarding the use of projections. They certainly worked well during the opening number, and their application in placing the action in time by using historical references was interesting and often engaging. However, I did feel that, at times, the information being projected to the audience was somewhat patronising, pointing out the blindingly obvious, and the Tina Turner 'talking head' seemed a little out of place. Despite the set being basic, the use of sliding flats on tracks was an extremely slick, effective and almost magical way of executing a scene change with little commotion and distraction.

All in all, if you're not a fan of jukebox musicals churning out hit after hit, then I Smell Trouble, but for the first-class vocal performance and sheer energy of the cast, I'd say Shake a Tail Feather and head on down to the box office!

Soul Sister is playing at the Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday 6 July - book your tickets here.

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