ORLANDO, Fla. – If you want to be wowed by choreography, singing, costumes and set design, “MJ” the musical is the show for you.
It’s the latest in a string of jukebox musicals now showing at the Dr. Phillips Center from March 4 through March 16 as part of the 2024-2025 Broadway in Orlando series.
This musical showcases Michael Jackson’s creative process as he develops his 1992 Dangerous World Tour. It opens inside a rehearsal room with MJ, dancers and managers fine-tuning his upcoming concert. An MTV crew who wanted to produce a piece about the legendary singer asks to follow Michael for 48 hours to capture some of that process. Jackson agrees to allowing the camera crew inside their rehearsals, but they’re told not to get too close. With that, the musical does not really delve deep or reveal any new insights into the many controversies that surrounded the legendary singer.
Personally, one of the reasons I enjoyed “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” and even “The Cher Show” so much is because I learned a lot about the personal histories and struggles of those musical icons. MJ briefly touched on the abusive relationship between his father, Joe, and the rest of the Jackson family as well as some of the racial biases they endured. The MTV crew also pointed out that they caught Michael taking pills and questioned whether that was becoming a problem, but most of the show was centered on Michael’s creative visions, thoughts and insecurities — including financial concerns — surrounding this tour and future musical career.
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Everyone I spoke with who attended the show on opening night said they were blown away by the dancing and singing. The lead actor who plays Michael Jackson has perfected his distinct voice and style. While we were entertained with flashbacks to some of Michael Jackson’s earlier hits with the Jackson Five, such as “ABC,” some people in the audience were also hoping for an appearance by his sisters, including Janet Jackson.
As someone who was coming of age in the ‘90s, I wanted to hear MJ singing even more of his many hits throughout the show. Toward the end of the musical, “Man in the Mirror” was primarily performed by family members, and I will forever equate lyrics like “I’m gonna make a change” to MJ’s mom, Katherine, as well as other family members who seemed to be referring to the well-documented abuse they’d endured at the hands of Joe Jackson.
The show ends with launch of MJ’s new tour and we get to see the iconic Michael Jackson perform in front of a mass audience that he dazzles with a few more hits. Afterward, I heard many people in the audience lament that they wished they’d seen the real Michael Jackson in concert when they had the chance. Since he passed away from cardiac arrest caused by an overdose in 2009, “MJ” the musical just may be the next best thing.
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