MJ

It's been almost a year in the making. However, Brenda and I can finally complete our New York to Chicago comparison of two plays, Moulin Rouge and MJ. In April 2022, we ventured to New York to see MJ, hoping to make a comparison in September 2022, when the musical was originally coming to The James M. Nederlander Theatre. However, the pandemic caused cancellations pushing MJ into the 2023/2024 season. But you can't stop (til you get enough) this tour of one of the greatest entertainers of all time.

Created by Tony Award-winning Director/Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, MJ, centered around Michael's unrelenting desires to make the 1992 Dangerous World Tour perfect. We get a behind the scene look into his creative mind and traumatic turbulent past as a young kid star. A career that launched him into legendary status but stole away his childhood.

Born as Michael Joseph Jackson, considered the King of Pop, he was among the best-selling music artists and one of the most significant cultural figures. Michael created songs that transformed the industry and changed the racial barriers of MTV against playing videos from black artists. The signature moonwalk's creator, Michael, was a worldwide inspiration and catapulted many artists' careers after listening to his music.

The Jackson 5, who made their professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael, were an instant hit. Michael was the youngest, but his soulful voice, which sounded like a man who had experienced life for many years, led the group. Although Michael received many accolades and awards, he didn't live a charmed life. Riddled with stories of mental and physical abuse he received from his father and bad press regarding his life, Michael was a guarded genius that just wanted to bring joy to the world through his music.

As you entered the theater, an intoxicating aura filled the room. As the dancers practice before rehearsal, you hear the dance coordinator inform them that the show begins in ten minutes—queuing the audience as well. Then as the lights dim, Jackson appears on stage with his backup singers and band, preparing for his 1992 Dangerous tour. The play gives the audience a picturesque view of Michael Jackson at work, perfecting his craft of being one of the hottest acts in show business. Parts of Jackson's story are from the perspective of interviews he provided to Rachel (Mary Kate Moore). Against his better adjustment, Michael allows Rachel inside the rehearsal and shares some problematic memories with his father and dealings with the press. He shares the joys of working with Berry Gordy, his collaboration with Quincy Jones, and his desire to raise funds for his Heal the World Foundation. Hoping to get the inside story of his joys and pains with the Dangerous Tour during her interviews with Michael (Roman Banks), she receives some unscripted information about his issues with painkillers. With flashbacks of his past, the play provides a glimpse into how The Jackson 5 was discovered after Berry Gordy heard the young Michael sing, I Want You Back. He is amazed at his command of the song, saying, "You sang that song like you've been living with heartbreak all of your life," and signed the group to a contract.

The New York MJ used three individuals portraying Michael at varying stages of his life; however, the Chicago production had five cast members as Michael—which according to a source, Banks, wasn't a natural dancer, and additional members may have been added. Still, his dancing and singing are amazingly similar to the King of Pop. The storyline from the book by Lynn Nottage (with a special arrangement with the Michael Jackson estate) does talk about some of Michael's personal experiences. The hyperbaric chamber, which Michael admits he made up for fun, his issues with vitiligo (his fading skin color), and some odd characteristics. However, it didn't dig into any of the scandals or the accusations of pedophilia, focusing more on his career and personal life traumas—which I'm happy Nottage focused more on the man and his music than the man in the mirror; some wanted to crucify.

MJ features 40 song titles, exhilarating to Jackson 5 and Michael fans as they listen to epic songs like Bad, Beat It, Billie Jean, Dancing Machine, and Thriller and some of the Jackson 5 hits, ABC, Blame It On The Boogie and Can You Feel It. You will only get a few choruses of most songs as there is no way to get 40 songs into 2 hours and 30 minutes of production.

Banks' performance of Michael Jackson had the audience on their feet with three standing ovations. Brenda, my wife and co-writer, reminisced that she had never seen a theatrical performance that received three standing ovations. The momentum of the electrifying singing and dancing in MJ was garnered with a long pause, captivating the moment of a spectacular dance performance. The timing of the perfected gaze was terrific. We agree that there was an electrifying night at Nederlander Theater; however, Brenda and I differ on Banks looking like Michael more than Frost in New York. Still, Banks does an incredible job of revealing Michael's sensitivity, mental battles with pleasing others, and being a perfectionist through his music, while Frost is indeed a more polished dancer.

Costume Designer Paul Tazewell, who also worked with the New York cast, did another great job showcasing the famous tilted fedora, black jacket, gold brocade, white socks, and the renowned glitter glove. And the cast of 30, featuring Jamaal Fields-Green, Brandon Lee Harris, Josiah Benson, Ethan Joseph at different ages of Michael, Devin Bowles(Rob, Joseph Jackson), Jaylen Lyndon Hunter (Little Marlon), Josh A. Dawson(Tito Jackson, Quincy Jones) and Anastasia Talley as Kate and Katherine Jackson, Michael's mother were phenomenal.

The staging of MJ, which started as the rehearsal room, transforms into an incredible lighting show featuring stimulating scenery, costumes, and movable props. The audience, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough Night of pure joy, definitely had that "Can You Feel It vibe." In addition, MJ scores high praise for its fantastic dramatization during the performance of They Don't Care About Us, Beat It, and Thriller. And the audience loved hearing some forgotten songs, like She's Out of My Life, Stranger in Moscow, The Love You Save, and The Price of Fame, the infamous Pepsi commercial song where Michael's hair caught fire during a rehearsal. Wheeldon and Nottage's excellent storyline of Michael's life also desired high praise. Its superior production produced an electrifying atmosphere that even the crowd's energy was on fire. MJ is the MUST-SEE EVENT in Chicago.

The HIStory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour of Michael Jackson, as he died before the start of the This Is It Tour, which was scheduled to begin in July 2009. Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest and died due to an overdose of propofol and benzodiazepine drugs.

Many see him as a fallen figure who never understood life changes as you grow into adulthood—choosing to forget or ignore how challenging it is for a child to be the primary financial income for the entire family. But, on the other hand, some will never forget him as a musical genius who left this earth too soon. Agree or disagree is just "Human Nature."

Those who went to the Chicago concerts of Taylor Swift and Beyonce spent an excessive amount, which some would say was absurd. Agree or disagree. Still, I can confirm that MJ is worth every penny. The only sad thing about this play is that you remember that the King of Pop is gone. And if you want to know which MJ performance we liked the best, New York or Chicago, catch our internet radio show, Let's Stay Together Talk (Facebook), on Tuesday at 7 pm.

4 STARS ****

Let's Play Highly Recommends MJ

James M. Nederlander Theatre

Book by Lynn Nottage

Music Supervision, Orchestration & Arrangements

by David Holcenberg

Directed and Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon

Playing now until September 2, 2023