When Michael Jackson (1958-2009) died shortly before he was due to start a residency at the O2 Arena in London, the whole world knew his name.
The price of fame, as MJ The Musical, a biographical jukebox musical authorised by his estate, tells it. We’re in Jackson’s dance studio in 1992, rehearsing for the Dangerous tour.
Into this secret sanctum come a reporter and cameraman from MTV to capture footage, and delve into the personal life of the star if they can.
Jamaal Fields-Green is the embodiment of MJ from the first note of “Beat It”, offering a high energy opener to the show. He is ably supported by Mitchell Zhangazha as mid-period Michael and Benjamin Miglioli as little Michael.
Lynn Nottage’s book builds a curated picture of what MJ stood for and who he was, with flashbacks and stories enhanced by the songs. It’s a technique firmly in use with jukebox musicals, with The Cher Show, The Osmonds, Sunny Afternoon and Get Down Tonight as other examples.
Where MJ The Musical excels is in the technical aspects of production: lighting, sound, set, effects, videography. When this show leaves the West End and goes out on the road, it will be interesting to see how the designers adapt their work for touring.
With such an iconic songbook from the early days of the Jackson 5 through to superstardom, director-choreographer Christopher Wheeldon has a lot to work with.
Your favourite songs are here: “Billie Jean”, “Smooth Criminal”, “Bad” and “Thriller”, often with dazzling staging and choreography. The ensemble throw themselves into the action with great commitment. Even Fred Astaire and Bob Fosse, great dance pioneers, get their moment.
Although some personal elements are touched up including Joseph Jackson’s harsh driving of his sons into fame, and MJ‘s pill-popping due to pain from the 1984 Pepsi-Cola accident (where a pyrotechnic malfunction caused his hair to ignite), they are purely incidental.
Scenes involving the unending pressure of press headlines (“Earth Song/They Don’t Care About Us”) and the tension between reality and image (“Man in the Mirror”) are particularly powerful, while “Thriller” has something of the performer as zombie about it.
Supporting turns from Lydia Sterling (Katherine), Matt Mills (Joseph), Christopher Gopaul (Dave the finance guy), Joshua C Jackson (Berry Gordy) and Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton (Quincy Jones) add powerhouse vocals to the mix.
Admittedly, it’s a thin story, and ending in the early 90s sidesteps the accusations of impropriety that dogged Jackson in his final decade. But it digs deeper than Thriller Live! was able to and gives MJ his place in music history as the ‘King of Pop’.
As the set flips, dazzles, and shimmers, and the sound (the band directed by Sean Green, with a particular nod to Rachel Espeute’s pulsing bass), it’s all smoke and mirrors. But isn’t that’s what entertainment is all about?
I’m giving this 4 stars.
MJ The Musical is at the Prince Edward Theatre until the end of Feb 2026, with an international tour of Asia from Oct 2026. The UK tour has been announced to begin in 2027. Check the show’s website for tickets and information.
Image credit: Matthew Murphy