*****/ ***** 5 out of 5 stars
Jukebox musicals are usually a gimmick. They’re designed to bring fans of a certain artist or band into the theater by appealing to their desire to hear their favorite songs performed live by talented musicians. But, because they’re usually song delivery systems, they tend to be stitched together with an absurd storyline that is often so hard to swallow that it severely damages one’s ability to enjoy the music. However, when there’s a purpose behind the story, and genuinely great music along with it, you have the makings of a hit. Cue: MJ, the Michael Jackson musical.
Since everyone has been insisting on mentioning the elephant in the room, I’m not going to. The points made are too obvious, too ordinary. It’s a conversation for another time and place. Every form of art has its stars who are bathed in controversy, who’ve done reprehensible things. Rarely, if ever, does the controversy alter the back story or the art, or make it irrelevant. If it did, we’d scarcely have any art left to enjoy. And MJ—which starts in 1992 during the rehearsal period for the extravagant “Dangerous” world tour and goes backward from there, jumping through time with abandon—deals with entirely different issues than those that dogged the mega star through the last years of his life and may have led to his tragic demise. That’s how the producers and Book writer Lynn Nottage wanted it. And if you’re worried that the musical is an opportunity for the Jackson estate to milk continued fortunes, you may be right. But, don’t feel bad about it. This is the same guy who bought the Beatles’ catalog and licensed John’s anti-capitalist rant, “Revolution” to a billion-dollar sneaker company for use in a . . . TV commercial. Call it karmic realignment. I’m sure a certain Mr. McCartney thinks so.
But this is about a musical. About Broadway and the need to not only recover from the devastating economic effects of the pandemic, but to enact major changes and make theater more appealing to a broader swath of audiences, bringing in people who’d never had much interest in spending their hard-earned money on stories they couldn’t relate to. So then, the big question is: Does It Deliver? You betcha. This is a crowd pleaser that will surely have a lot of repeat business.
MJ explodes out of the gate with “Beat It,” probably Jackson’s biggest hit and the song that allowed him to cross over from the Soul/R&B sound he’d been so well known for, and enter the Rock and Pop arena. In terms of gritty Rock ‘n Roll, “Beat It” never quite made it there, being lyrically silly and having a thoroughly Pop foundation. But it did have a ripping guitar solo by the rock god Eddie Van Halen. For the amazing performance, an Eddie Van Halen lookalike pops out of the band sporting a wig that was (hopefully) a parody of the mid-80s mullet sported by the virtuoso. It’s the perfect number with which to open the show and it’s only a shame director Christopher Wheeldon didn’t choose to close with it as well. It would’ve been the perfect bookend. Nonetheless, it sets an anticipatory tone for each number that comes up. And there were so many! Thirty-seven songs by my count, all of which were relevant to the storyline and not all by Jackson or the Jackson Five or The Jacksons. Nottage, Wheeldon and company didn’t try to cram in a popular song like, say, “Ben,” just to please the audience. Too many of these musicals do just that. But Michael and company had plenty of hits to spare.
Performed by a trio of Michaels, representing the star at different stages of his life, the songs are note-perfect and beautifully performed, whether as a frenzied dance number or an introspective ballad. The primary Michael, who’s in the midst of rehearsals for the Dangerous tour and fighting with his manager over cost overruns (notably a laughable and insanely pricey “toaster” he wants on the set to burst him onto the stage through a cloak of fog) is Myles Frost. Frost is not merely the star of the show, but perhaps the star of Broadway this year. Thanks to spot on costuming (Paul Tazewell) that hits every era just right, and Frost’s soft, Jackson-esque voice and a fair resemblance, Frost may as well be Jackson.
His dance moves (including MJ’s patented Moon Walk), singing and interactions are absolutely convincing. This total newcomer to Broadway (as well as New York theater on the whole) takes on an enormous role and absolutely nails it. The late teens-early 20s Michael, Tavon Olds-Sample, has the look, moves and voice of Jackson as well; but his role is more limited and he takes on other characters through the rest of the play. Very young Michael (seven to ten years old, or thereabouts) is played by two different actors, due to their age. I saw Christian Wilson in the role and he was not only charming, but a perfect “Little Michael” as well—the voice, the singing and the look (the early 70s Jacksons were quite distinctive as well). In a duet of “I’ll Be There” he sings with his mother, the absolutely golden voiced Ayana George (yet another Broadway newcomer!). The two are tenderhearted and earnest, while singing the best rendition of the song I’ve yet to hear (a woman in the audience shouted, “We love you, Michael!” as the song drew to a close, the moment was so touching). There should be a slew of awards awaiting all these actors at the end of the season.
Besides additional topnotch performances (notably Quentin Earl Darrington as Rob the kindly Tour Manager and the rageful family patriarch Joseph Jackson), the show is bolstered by an incredible (if sometimes disturbingly muscular) dance team, a fabulous ensemble of singers and musicians and, even more importantly, a remarkable scenic team. Derek McClane’s set, combined with Peter Nigrini’s stunning projection work and Natasha Katz’s lighting make for a visual spectacle that Michael the perfectionist would’ve been proud to use on his own tour.
“MJ” gets all the elements of the jukebox musical perfect. Sure, there are occasional slow moments, necessary to move the story forward, but they are brief and do what they’re meant to. The second you realize you’re feeling a lull, you’re shifted right into a song, and it’s usually a familiar favorite. There were so many. This production is a crowd pleaser. It’s a show that Broadway needs, one that Broadway should reward when the season ends and the accolades and statuettes are handed out. It may just be the show that moves Broadway into the post-pandemic era and it will do so on a positive, enthusiastic note—one that will benefit all the other players.
MJ. Open run. At the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue). Two hours 30 minutes with one intermission. mjthemusical.com
