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Michael Jackson fans rejoice and gather – there is a show in town that you simply can’t miss – the national tour of the Broadway show MJ The Musical, playing the Pantages through January 28, 2024. Far more than a revue of Jackson’s work, the show is a clever peek behind the scenes as Jackson prepares for his iconic stadium “Dangerous” world tour and takes a dive into the man, his artistry, and the way he influenced generations. If you’re a fan, you have to go, but even for a layman in Jackson’s body of work – not sure who that is, but I digress – this show is wildly entertaining on all fronts. Jackson, after all, is known for being one of the most, if not the most exciting showmen of all time, so a show about him, featuring dozens of his biggest hits performed by incredibly talented Broadway performers has all the elements of something the King of Pop himself would have loved.
Jackson was always an actor and performer and someone who admired all the great dancers and singers of his time and before his time. And as his Broadway performance in The Wiz was one of his personal highlights in his career, I can only imagine that a Broadway show made about him would make him smile. MJ The Musical allows us into the rehearsal studio where Jackson and his dancers are just days away from premiering the “Dangerous” tour in Berlin in 1992. We see not only his exacting nature and work ethic – he continually says, “I have to feel it” when explaining why they need to do it again and again – but also Jackson’s childlike playfulness and yes, his various traumas and their repercussions. An MTV journalist, Rachel, has been allowed access to film the rehearsal and interview Jackson. In this way, we are led through his early years and eventual meteoric rise.
The exhilarating numbers come fast and furious, from iconic moments like The Jackson Five on The Ed Sullivan Show and Soul Train – when young Michael (Josiah Benson/Ethan Joseph) puts on that iconic 70’s purple hat for their Soul Train debut, it’s a moment – the paradigm shift that occurred when he moonwalked across the stage during the live broadcast of Motown 25, to his record and groundbreaking Thriller, Beat It, and Smooth Criminal videos. A heart and show-stopping, mid-show standing ovation came after the culmination of Thriller ends in Jackson winning 9 Grammys in one night. I have never seen this in my life and it certainly felt like the minutes long ovation was just as much for Jackson himself as for the performers on stage. Even 15 years after his death, it’s clear he still has super fans with people actually screaming “We love you, Michael!” from the audience as if they were indeed at a concert.
The show is visually arresting and gives us a glimpse at what it was like to be in his universe both behind the scenes and on stage. It’s a smart move by writer Lynn Nottage to set the show in ’92, a time that cemented him globally as the biggest star in the world – a captivating moment to capture and before things got complicated in his personal life. This time frame allows us to focus on the artist and the art he made. There is a very clever use of double and triple casting throughout with the Dangerous cast and crew also playing his brothers, his parents, and influential people in his life like Quincy Jones, Fred Astaire, the Nicholas Brothers and more.
Standout performances come from an imposing, powerhouse Devin Bowles taking on a dual role of Joe Jackson and Dangerous tour director/choreographer, Rob, and Anastasia Talley as Katherine Jackson. Talley has a beautifully soulful rendition of “I’ll Be There” sung to a young and then adult Michael. Jackson is played by three actors at three stages of his life. The young 20’s Michael, played with earnest energy and an exploding charisma by Brandon Lee Harris, sounds incredibly close to Jackson. It’s an absolute thrill to see the biggest hits of this era re-created and Harris is up to the task. The performance of ’92 Michael, played by the astonishing Roman Banks, is truly a tour de force – far deeper than an impression, he embodies the man from the voice and mannerisms to his playfulness and demanding nature. It felt like being a fly on the wall at these rehearsals and Banks really takes you on the journey.
The entire ensemble is extraordinary, playing multiple roles and dancing, did I mention there’s dancing? Like, a lot of it. It’s incredible to see these dancers at the top of their game bringing their A game to what is tantamount to a veritable tribute to Michael Jackson. It’s fitting because Jackson truly was known for his dancing in a way we really have never seen again.
This pulse-quickening, blockbuster of a show just keeps giving – “ABC”, “I Want You Back”, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, “Rock With You”, “Billy Jean”, “Bad”, “Black or White”, “Man in the Mirror” – and more. And it’s staggering to realize that it’s just a small portion of his entire catalogue. What is undeniable is Jackson’s talent and genius. MJ The Musical puts it on dazzling display.
MJ The Musical is in Los Angeles at Hollywood Pantages Theatre for a limited six-week engagement from December 20, 2023 – January 28, 2024. Ticket prices start at $39. Additional ticket information at www.BroadwayInHollywood.com. The Pantages is located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles. (323) 468-1770.
