The King of Pop is back! MJ the Musical opens during the preparation of the famous Dangerous tour when two MTV journalists join the crew and promise to cover Michael Jackson's music rather than prying into his life. However, this current stage production does a bit of both. We get a peek into the struggles Michael had with his demanding father and a suggestion that the star's own perfectionism and obsession with detail finds its source there. We also get an insight into Michael's struggle with drugs and his isolation from the real world. The songs are then used to highlight these personal issues as the biography is traced. That personal and psychological narrative however, is, perhaps, the least compelling part of this show. Things really come to life with the performances and the production numbers, and these are quite magical. As MJ, Jaamal Fields-Green has all of the amazing moves, and he also puts in some terrific vocal performances. A particular highlight for us was the dance sequence that opened Act II and which cited the influences on Michael of Fred Astaire, the Nicholas Brothers and Bob Fosse among others. Mitchell Zhangazha as the Michael of The Jackson 5 and Phebe Edwards as Katherine Jackson also put in some excellent performances, and Edwards' "I'll Be There" was a real show stopper. With over forty songs squeezed into the show all the big hits are here such as "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Thriller," but it is some of the lesser known pieces that were particularly satisfying, taking on a new resonance from their context. This is a show that doesn't really attempt to deal with the controversial issues that coloured Jackson's later life and while the biography sometimes seems uneasily woven into the production, the music and the performances make this one definitely worth seeing.
Rated: ★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Matthew Murphy
When, Where, Getting there:
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