Review by Tim Garratt
The Tony Award-winning MJ the Musical has arrived in Sydney, following productions in New York, London, Germany and a US Tour. Penned by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage, and directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Christopher Wheeldon (Artistic Associate of the Royal Ballet in London), MJ celebrates Michael Jackson’s achievements as an artist, foregrounding the music that made him a global star. The musical has been staged “by special arrangement” with Jackson’s estate.
Set in 1992, MJ begins with an MTV journalist (Penny McNamee) and her cameraman (Yashith Fernando) arriving at rehearsals for Jackson’s Dangerous World Tour. Over the course of their time at rehearsals, the two get the chance to ask Jackson (Roman Banks) and his team a few questions and get (only) a fleeting sense of the man behind the pop icon. Via this framing device, we are taken back to Jackson’s earliest performing moments as part of the Jackson 5, to his emergence as a solo superstar in the eighties, and back again to 1992, as he prepares to take the stage in Munich to kick off the largest tour of his career. Naturally, it’s all accompanied by hits from Jackson’s back catalogue (more than 25 songs, in total, robustly performed by music director Michael Azzopardi and his tight band).
The show paints a picture of Jackson as someone uncompromising in his artistic vision, even when his own financial security is at stake. But while reference is made to darker aspects of Jackson’s story (namely, his addiction to painkillers), MJ doesn’t address the allegations of child abuse against the star (which have been strongly denied by Jackon’s estate). The audience is asked to fix their focus wholly on the music, the videos and Jackson’s contribution to pop culture. For some theatregoers, that may be too tough an ask.
The clear purpose of MJ is to entertain, and what Wheeldon has created is a vibrant and skilfully performed homage to a performer who, at his commercial height, rose to a stratospheric level of fame comparable to the Beatles in the 1960s or Taylor Swift in contemporary times. Wheeldon moves us from one number to the next at pace (particularly in the second act). Together with Rich and Tone Talauega (once Jackson tour dancers themselves), he showcases the pop star’s trademark moves and adds his own flavour to the choreography. The dancing is first-class and meticulously executed by a high-calibre cast.
Leading the cast is Banks, who has already played the title role in the US and is superb in the role. In voice and in movement, he is uncannily like Jackson at times, and his energy never falters. Making his professional debut as a younger Jackson, Liam Damons also delivers an excellent performance, and William Bonner is great in portraying Jackson at the very start of his music career. Derrick Davis impresses as both Jackson’s father and his tour director, while Josslyn Hlenti Afoa is a vocal standout as Jackson’s mother.
Visually, MJ also hits the mark, with Derek McLane’s sets, Peter Nigrin’s projections, Paul Tazewell’s costumes and Natasha Katz’s lighting all playing their part in creating a spectacular stage show.
Ticketholders should not expect an exposition delving deep into Jackson’s life, because MJ the Musical is about the art, not the artist. And as a vehicle to recognise his musical work and its imprint on the pop landscape, it succeeds.
MJ The Musical is now playing at the Sydney Lyric Theatre https://mjthemusical.com.au/
Photo credit: Daniel Boud
