A new musical about Michael Jackson that has been feted in New York yet criticised for its “inherent ickiness” and “sanitised” approach to the singer’s life, is to open in London.
MJ the Musical, which was nominated for 10 Tony awards and won in four categories, is written by the Pulitzer prize winner Lynn Nottage and choreographed and directed by Britain’s Christopher Wheeldon. The show is based around the making of Jackson’s 1992-93 world tour to promote his chart-topping album Dangerous.
Nottage said that “as a Black musician and a pioneering voice in the music industry, Michael Jackson demanded inclusion, broke incredible barriers and … made indelible music”. The writer added that she was drawn to his “complicated, singular and uncompromising creative process, and to understand where, why and how he made his music”. Wheeldon similarly stated that the musical is an exploration of Jackson’s “artistic mind” and “creative process”. He added: “It has offered us the opportunity to put one of the greatest catalogues of pop music ever written up on stage in a show that combines the thrill and energy of a Michael Jackson concert with a glimpse into a pivotal moment of his pioneering career.” The show features songs from Dangerous, such as Black or White and Jam, as well as Jackson’s earlier hits including Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal.
When the show opened in New York in February, the Guardian’s Adrian Horton considered it “a rollicking parade of hits and vocal high points” as well as a “sanitised spin” through his life and a “dubious proposition” in light of the allegations against Jackson of child sexual abuse, including those detailed in the 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland. (The Michael Jackson estate, which co-produced the musical, has vehemently denied all allegations; Jackson was acquitted of child molestation in 2005.)
The New York Times’s Jesse Green wrote that the musical’s lead star, Myles Frost, who won a Tony for his performance, was “a real find” and that the production opened with verve and confidence but disintegrated in the second half when “the pleasure that compensated for its inherent ickiness can no longer do the job. MJ becomes a grind of obfuscation, a case of wilfully not looking at the man in the mirror.”
Casting has not yet been confirmed for the London production of MJ, which opens at the Prince Edward theatre in the West End in March 2024. Tickets will go on sale in spring next year. The Jackson tribute musical Thriller Live ended its 11-year run in the West End in 2020.
