MJ the Musical assessment – sterilised moonwalk by the King of Pop’s life | Musicals

‘I need to maintain this about my music,” says Michael Jackson in MJ the Musical. No shock there. The musical, set through the rehearsal interval of the Harmful world tour in 1992 – coincidentally a 12 months earlier than any sexual allegations had been made in opposition to him – appears to wipe away virtually all of the scandal that surrounded Jackson. In fact, it has moonwalks, one megahit after one other and years’ value of biography, however there’s a obviously disagreeable absence. MJ the Musical is a sterilised swirl by the lifetime of the King of Pop, however in actuality, it’s no black or white story.

A musical recounting Jackson’s fame was all the time going to face a clumsy problem. First, there’s the problem that each jukebox musical encounters: the right way to squeeze well-known songs right into a succinct narrative? Then there’s the itch to say one thing recent a few determine who was a world phenomenon, but additionally notoriously enigmatic. However these issues pale compared to the problem of Jackson’s personal legacy. He was all the time a person of thriller and a deeply controversial one at that. For the reason that harrowing 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, it’s onerous to disregard the repeated allegations of kid sexual abuse.

But Lynn Nottage’s script does simply that and as a substitute focuses on the thoughts of a troubled superstar. Though Jackson feels uneasy concerning the press, his supervisor convinces him to let two MTV journalists make a documentary concerning the tour. They initially plan for it to be solely about Jackson’s musical journey. However as they watch him popping painkillers, requesting virtually inconceivable stunts for his present and dealing his already exhausted crew into the bottom, Jackson’s Peter Pan-like strangeness begins to creep to the floor. How can they probably ignore his private life of their experiences?

Supported by the property of Michael Jackson – who deny the allegations – the musical makes a case for the celebrity’s privateness. There are crashing scenes of him being hounded at press conferences, with shattered video projection by Peter Nigrini. The journalists round him drip with starvation and desperation. Blame for Jackson’s megalomania is pushed on to his group: “Somebody should inform him no,” they mutter. However by no means is the celebrity solely at fault and his behaviour is basically left unchallenged.

Jackson (Myles Frost – a shapeshifting power) is stricken by visions of his father – there’s the sense that all the pieces he does is to show himself to him. We hurtle by his rise to fame, his early performances with the Jackson 5 and his later solo album recordings, his voice all the time a novel, entrancing marvel. His massive hits are met with glee from the viewers: Thriller contorts the stage right into a garish nightmare, whereas the refrain model of Man within the Mirror has the girl subsequent to me singing on the prime of her lungs. As MJ the Musical’s wild concepts burst right into a mesmerising actuality, the stage turns into a hub of neon and gravity-defying dance strikes.

It could be remiss to say Jackson’s songs don’t possess an otherworldly magic. And along with his followers nonetheless in abundance, this West Finish switch is certain to promote tickets. However, can we actually sit in a theatre and fake his music can reside on with out scrutiny? Some may be capable to separate Jackson’s artwork from the artist. However as Frost took his ultimate bow and the viewers leaped to their toes, I felt queasy – dangerous, even.