‘MJ The Musical’ lands in London from Broadway with lots of hype which it doesn’t quite live up to in a show with great singing and dancing but not much else.
MJ takes us to the time when MJ (Michael Jackson in case you didn’t know) was preparing for his 1992 Dangerous tour amidst the trials and tribulations going on in his life at that time (money problems, sleeping in an oxygen chamber, his companion Bubbles the monkey – but the show is cleverly set a year before sexual allegations were made against him by young men, some of whom he paid off with millions and millions of dollars). In parallel to this, the story of Jackson’s rise with his brothers and the tough upbringing he endured at the hands of a bully father is told to supposedly explain what made him the man he was. But questionably the story is told through a reporter and her cameraman filming a documentary for a music television channel asking MJ about his life and motives for songs which forms the basis of the story. However, a story like Michael’s doesn’t need to be told like this (the camera is not even on, and like it was so well done in ’Sunset Boulevard’ closeups of MJ’s face are not happening) – MJ’s story tells itself without such a ploy.
It’s a messy weave that at times is a bit hard to follow. MJ is played diligently by Myles Frost. Frost nails MJ’s dance moves and squeaky voice. Meanwhile, most of the acting in the show is obviously not what we see the show for, but it’s not great, and while there are a couple good rousing numbers (‘Wanna Be Starting Something’ in the first half brought the crowd to their feet on opening night), these moments are rare and should’ve been par for the course. And while young Michael (standout Mitchell Zhangazha) and his mother sing an emotional ‘I’ll be There’ – ‘Thriller’ – perhaps MJ’s biggest hit – is saved for the end, but it’s a little too late. And ‘Billie Jean’,’ which we know is part of the mega hit album ‘Thriller,’ confusingly shows up in the show out of context with the story.
Frost as the older Michael sure can sing and dance – not much acting is needed on his part – but its all show and no substance. Zhangazha is very memorable while Ashley Zhangazha is a powerful force playing both Michael’s father Joseph and tour manager Rob. The rest of the actors are a bore – including Jon Tsouras as MJ’s accountant who has to deliver bad news to Michael about his finances and the cost of the tour escalating. The aforementioned television crew should exit the show as soon as possible. Phebe Edwards as Michael’s mother is more background and is in a thankless role. The lighting and costumes and stage design are all good (most of the show, unfortunately, takes place in a rehearsal room), one would expect it to be more thrilling. And ‘MJ’ doesn’t end on a high like most musicals (jukebox) do, but it should’ve done as Jackson’s music repertoire is massive (the program list 40 songs in the show, but not all are performed in full). Jackson’s estate is one of the producers of the show (strangely Candy Spelling is too), so it should’ve been a sure fire hit. London critics reviews have been mixed at best (the New York show won four Tony Awards including Best Actor for Frost). To say MJ is a mess is not quite the right word to describe it, but it won’t quite meet your expectations which is a shame because it could’ve and should’ve more than exceeded expectations.
Photo by Johan Persson