He is one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Now, Michael Jackson’s unique and unparalleled artistry has finally arrived on Broadway in a brand-new musical. Centered around the making of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour, and created by Tony Award®-winning Director/Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, MJ goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Jackson into legendary status.
Don’t expect to learn anything new that you didn’t already know. MJ the Musical, playing now at Broadway at the Hobby Center, dazzles. It doesn't illuminate. His father, Joe, was abusive. His desires to breakaway from the Jackson 5/The Jacksons banner and become a solo artist were not well received from some members of his family. He and Quincy Jones created timeless albums. He was lonely and was notorious for an eccentric sense of arrested development. He had a monkey named Bubbles and a home called Neverland.
The movement in the show is recognizably in the Jackson gestalt, but it’s not a replication. It’s a fresh, independent, complicated and often dazzlingly beautiful choreographic suite, as interpreted not by actors who dance but by dancers, first and foremost. Now that I’ve seen it a couple of times, my admiration has only grown for how well Wheeldon satisfied the imperative of offering people the moves they think they came to see while at the same time extending everyone’s choreographic vocabulary, both presentationally and emotionally. It’s a brilliant fusion of originality and reference, art and commerce, homage and the subtlest of challenges to the record. And it’s fabulous to watch, just like the King of Pop.
2022 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2023 | US Tour |
North American Tour US Tour |
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