The hit musical “MJ The Musical” in London’s West End is a big success in narrating the story of the King of Pop in the most energetic way possible. By the clever decision of the creators, instead of covering his whole life, the show zooms in on the lead-up to the 1992 Dangerous World Tour, thus, providing the fans with the behind-the-scenes access to his artistic approach. Such a focused view contributes to the work’s intimacy and urgency as it presents Jackson as an artist who was detail-oriented and revolutionary to the point that he was striving for perfection.
It is a wise move of the creators as by doing this they not only save themselves the trouble of trying to fit in the huge amount of facts of a biography but also succeed in representing to the audience the kind of person he was.
The distinctive feature of the London production is its breathtaking staging. The choreography is on point and closely follow Jackson’s movements without being a mere carbon copy of his works. Among others, lighting, projection, and staging are going full throttle and are very often instrumental in the recreation of the stylish music video that was at the heart of his work. The songs such as Beat It, Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, and Thriller are not only executed from now on – they are brought to life on stage in a way that is big, theatrical, and immersive.’
The lead actor depicting Michael has a tremendous challenge, and it is the work that first gets the spotlight from the audience. Besides the requirement of a strong singing voice and dance accuracy the role throws in the emotional sensitivity on top of all this, revealing Jackson as a quite a few things at a time – a visionary and a vulnerable one. It has been said that the London cast manages very well to strike that very fine balance: they give just enough of the highly recognizable MJ touch to delight the fans and at the same time, they do not lose the ground, hence, they depict the character as a real person. It is humanization which the audience can sense without the slightest hint of over-idealization.’
To sum it up, MJ The Musical is a jewel in the West End crown. It is a tightly packed, loud and explosive show that will make happy not only the fans who have been with him for the whole time of his career but also the newcomers that are just attracted by the great music and the fantastic show. The theatre is undoubtedly a fast one, loaded with one hit track after another, and, like a rock concert, it keeps the public in an excited state of mind with a sort of electric energy that one would expect the show of one of the pop industry’s most significant performers to have. The point of the matter is that if you want to combine your night’s outing with the best of both worlds: the past and the present, this is probably one of the strongest contenders for your next night out in London nowadays.’
