Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy on becoming Tina Turner
Two years ago, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy auditioned for the role of Zelma in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. On the third round of auditions, the panel asked whether she had considered auditioning for the role of Tina, instead of the protagonist’s mother. “No, thank you,” was Jochebel’s immediate response. “I’d watched the show a couple of years prior and I thought that this was way too hard,” she explains. “The role is for someone who is elite in my idea of musical theatre. It’s for someone who’s so good at their job – I felt like I wasn’t there yet.”
Despite Jochebel’s initial doubt, the creatives had a strong belief in her and she performed in a massive, record-breaking run across Australia in 2023-24 to raving reviews. Once she had finished her scheduled performances, Jochebel became Tina Turner in the UK tour.
“I feel like this journey can’t be described as anything other than a blessing and a huge opportunity that I couldn’t be more grateful for,” she says. “It’s taken me across the whole emotional spectrum, but it’s been so worth it because from day one, I’ve been challenged as a performer and allowed to see potential in myself that I didn’t think existed. I feel like I can go to the moon with Tina Turner. I can reach completely new heights and abilities because this show is three hours long, Tina sings about 24 out of 28 songs in this show. It’s Yellow Pages worth of script. The costume changes, the fighting you have to do is gruelling. It’s hard, but I would never trade the experience for anything.”
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is a biographical jukebox musical, dramatising the life and career of Tina Turner – the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” It depicts her challenging, barrier-breaking journey from humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennesse to international stardom. WhatsOnStage described Jochebel’s performance as “more than a mere impersonation; it’s a transformation, an embodiment,” with Theatre and Tonic magazine stating that she was “nothing short of remarkable.” The Stage commented that Jochebel “was an absolute livewire in the role at this performance […] combining nuance with a rollercoaster performance,” while Local Women Magazine praised her as “simply sensational” and critic Jim Pritchard claimed: “I have to say that I doubt if there can currently be a better performance in any British musical than MacCarthy as Tina.” These stellar reviews – a few among many – are a testament to Jochebel’s virtuosity and dedication.
Before stepping onto the international stage, Jochebel completed her BA in Musical Theatre at Trinity Laban in 2018. “One of the best things about the course was being able to do it across three different campuses – one at Laurie Grove, one at Laban Building, and one at the Old Royal Naval College which overlooks the Thames in the rehearsal rooms,” she says. “I just thought that was incredible – we got to experience everything and we got to study in beautiful building while also having our own space. We would go into actual theatres – including the Albany Theatre in Deptford – which was gorgeous.
“The teachers that we had were really smart and outstanding professionals. Tony Castro in the music department, Dolly Henry in jazz, Vicki Stretton as the head of the course, to name just a few – they were all amazing. Sometimes, in musical theatre, you have the feeling you’ll be confined just to this artform. At Trinity Laban, you get to mingle with other course students or people within jazz, classical pianists, other instruments. I felt it was a beautiful way to run a course. Getting to know other people rather than just being with musical theatre students was great.”
In the final year of her undergraduate degree, Jochebel was successful in getting an agent. She immediately started auditioning and secured her first professional job in the UK & international tour of Ghost: The Musical. This marked the first time Jochebel was away from home for extended periods of time – she toured in places like Dubai, Turkey, Italy, and seventeen different spots in the UK. Next up was a mini UK tour of The Colour Purple, including performances at venues like Leicester and Birmingham Hippodrome. “That was an experience that really shaped my career,” she says. “From then on, I really began to believe in myself and the career choice I had chosen. I come from a household which wasn’t too sure about the musical theatre route until they started seeing my passion flourish into financial stability. The Colour Purple marked the first stepping stone for me that signalled I could do musical theatre on a professional level.”
After The Colour Purple, Jochebel went on to perform in UK productions of The Lion King, an experience she describes as “a dream come true. I didn’t think I would ever be able to work for a Disney production, so that was immense.”
But then, COVID hit.
Jochebel, however, had a plan.
“I was able to use my A levels to secure a job in the medical field. I just thought of it as another role – a role to play as a medical lab assistant. As soon as all the measures were lifted, I went straight back into musicals and got my first job on the West End in Hairspray. It was my first time ever doing a swing job – covering quite few characters in the show, before returning back to The Lion King. And now here we are with Tina.”
Reflecting on her career so far and the advice she has for prospective students, Jochebel says: “Hold your head up high because your degree doesn’t necessarily define your career. I’ve seen people who go to university to study one thing and their life has completely switched direction. Whilst you’re studying, remember that only you know what you’re capable of. There are people there who can help you develop that.
“Sometimes, we can put a limitation on what we’re capable of, but it’s only when you actually hit the industry that you have the chance to put your experience into action. Take in as much as possible, hit the industry running because the sky is honestly not the limit. You can surpass all that you’ve ever imagined, and even things that you’ve not imagined yet can come to pass.
“Speaking from the heart, finding something to believe in that is bigger than yourself is really important, as you might not get as far if you only rely on yourself. Our self-confidence gets hit from all sorts of angles all the time. Take COVID as an example. When the artistic industry practically shut down (except TV and film), if you don’t believe in something bigger than yourself as a performer, if you take the hit, how do you get back up again? You need to have a very strong support network, whether that be your family, your loved ones, your friends – for me, it was having religion and God as my help. He helped me emerge from that sticking point. Having something bigger than yourself to believe in can help you get out of a low state.
“You’re still young. When you’re at university, you have a tendency to compare yourself to other people and worry about what others think. I’m so glad I didn’t allow it to stick because I was able to go on to achieve things that at the time I thought were potentially out of reach. Go in with the belief of what you can achieve.