Melbourne Reviews

The stakes and overheads of getting a show to Broadway are now so incredibly high that even some of the major players are suggesting the break-even risks are simply not worth it. Broadway’s jaw dropping ticket prices reflect the gamble and audiences are less and less inclined to take a punt without some credible assurance of a good time. With US tourism plummeting like a crystal ball on News Years eve, and the ‘three shows in a weekend’ jolly to New York reportedly now diluted to just one – it’s tough times indeed in Times Square!

Covid and subject matter controversy could very easily have derailed MJ The Musical but instead, it proved to be the stuff of the elusive ‘Sure Bet.’ Pushing on past its penned 2020 kick off, the show remained a buoyant prospect and opened in late 2021. Audiences proved more enthusiastic than critics and with several Tony award wins to add to the marquee, the cash rolled in and the usual trajectory followed; a US Tour, a West End transfer, European and Australian productions and now the promise of an Asian tour to come.

MJ The Musical is a hyper charged, incredibly well assembled few hours of slick entertainment that never quite commits to a genre, instead, it kinda brazenly straddles jukebox bio-musical, tribute show and stadium concert without ever fitting neatly into one or the other.

MJ explores the genesis of genius and feels a very credible take on creative inspiration and influence. Coming along as an invested Jackson fan really isn’t a prerequisite and as hard as it to believe and concede for those who were around at the height of his fame, some will be new to his career and back story. This is a most reverential celebration of an incredible artist but, the clash of extraordinary legacy juxtaposed against the controversy of the individual in the title – does sit strangely in the current cancel culture climate. The work being set in early 1992 allows the narrative to conveniently evade too much referencing of Jackson's moral and legal struggles and focus principally on his incredible creativity but there will always be a lingering and one can only imagine the show's 'green light' journey can’t have totally overlooked the elephant (man) in the mirror – but hey, we're still queuing to see the wall hangings of Picasso and he was most unsavoury but to his own pallete! 

The thread of the show focuses on two days in the rehearsal room before the launch of Jackson’s 1992 concert tour Dangerous. There’s what’s actually taking place in real time between his collaborators, musicians and dancers and then there’s what’s happening in his head as he looks back over his life to that point. The impetus and triggers for these memory sequences is an intrusive scoop seeking MTV journalist and camera operator who’ve been given exclusive access to help bolster the tour’s fortunes and perhaps recoup some of Jackson’s costly and elaborate desires for the show he’s pulling together. Much is made of the origins of Jackson’s obsessive quest for perfection and as we flash back through childhood sequences depicting the industrial scale of his fame, we see how torment informs his near impossible work ethic and expectations of others. Jackson’s unique and unimaginable life is so well documented that nothing feels particularly revelatory here but instead, necessary snippets that bridge us to the next dance sequence.

Given the weight and focus of perfection in the narrative, it would be monumentally remiss if the calibre of the production was not reflective – it is!  This is dance as good as it gets, unsurprising given it’s all been pulled together by ex-Royal Ballet and musical theatre crossover wonder boy Christoper Wheeldon.

Wheeldon has rammed the show full of utterly stunning set pieces, the highlight being homage to Jackson’s dance inspiring heroes, Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse and the Nicholas Brothers. These reverential sequences are where the production really lifts and excels and moves away from recognisable Jackson to something more firmly stamped with Wheeldon’s extraordinary choreographic gifts. These numbers are so beautifully executed and tight that the eye is more drawn to the dancers behind over the performer playing Jackson at the front.

The minimal but incredibly versatile staging is of course enhanced by the modern theatrical trickery of projection enabling far greater depth, location, scale and realism than traditional sets offer. The overall look and feel of the production is testimony to the strength and experience of the creative teams behind a show on this scale and technically, everything pops and delivers effortlessly.

On stage is an incredibly talented international cast offering some great triple threat opportunities, particularly in the three-way split of Jackson at different ages but overall, Christoper Wheeldon is in the director’s chair and this is a show about a dancer by a dancer and as spectacular as staging can be, nothing is more exhilarating than real people moving in synchronicity.

Sure there’s a few pacing dips and few clunky moments imploring us to care about Jackson, whether want to or not, but you’d be without a pulse to walk away from this without being genuinely impressed and exhilarated.

If for no other reason – go for the dancing because it’s joyous and astoundingly good.