If you were lucky enough to see Michael Jackson in concert, you know the seemingly impossible star power he exerted on stage and over a crowd. He was a luminous, peerless performer whether he was in an arena on tour or on the small screen dancing his heart out with his brothers as the Jackson 5 on “Soul Train.” When he debuted his robot dance as a teenager, Jackson had only begun to reveal the impact he’d have on not just pop culture, but culture. Period.
The glossy new musical “MJ” lets you know with its first big number — an eye-popping, dance-inducing rendition of “Beat It” — that this is a celebration of the King of Pop enacted by a crew of performers up to the extraordinary task of capturing the essence of the Grammy-winning artist and his music.
Directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon (who won a Tony for his choreography), the musical that launched its first national tour in Chicago this week is at its best during its astonishing production numbers, epic renditions of “Billie Jean” and “Smooth Criminal” among the nearly three dozen Jackson tunes featured.
Wheeldon, a former soloist and resident choreographer with the New York City Ballet, has an exhaustive dance vocabulary (he re-invented “The Nutcracker” for the Joffrey Ballet here). He creates a jaw-dropping spectacle that includes Jackson’s signature moves merged with Wheeldon’s own high-octane legwork. When everyone on stage is in motion, it’s a breathtaking vision of athleticism and grace.
As the title character, Roman Banks is a force of nature, capturing the moves, the energy and the revolutionary creativity Jackson embodied.
In two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage’s book, the musical begins in 1992, as the rehearsals for Jackson’s “Dangerous” world tour are in their final days. From the rehearsal room, “MJ” moves between flashbacks and the present — from the Jackson 5’s genesis in their Gary, Indiana, home to an audition for Motown’s Barry Gordy to ultimately the incandescent opening moments of the tour.
Jackson is played in his teen years by a charismatic Brandon Lee Harris and as a child by an endearing Josiah Benson (who alternates in the role with Ethan Joseph). Throughout, a two-person MTV documentary crew (Mary Kate Moore and Da’Von Moody) follows the action and tries to get Jackson to open up about his music and more importantly, his life.
The 1992 setting means all that embroiled Jackson later — the 1993 allegations of sexual battery on a child, his arrest on child molestation charges in 2003, and the 2005 trial that acquitted him on all counts — aren’t a factor. In this telling, Jackson is a tortured artistic genius who always delivers despite being hunted by the media, haunted by his past and under unmanageable pressure in the present.
Still, Jackson’s demons are never far from the surface in “MJ.” We see him popping pain pills, and mortgaging his Neverland ranch to fund the tour as his inner circle becomes increasingly concerned.
“MJ” shows the terrible pressures Jackson faced as a child at the hands of a simultaneously loving and abusive father, Joseph (Devin Bowles, who is also cast as Rob, Michael’s tour manager). If Joseph has to backhand the youngest member of the Jackson 5 into rehearsing, so be it.
The musical remains at its most glorious during the big production numbers, which include a rich catalogue of Jackson hits, with Jackson’s ruthless perfectionism shining through in Banks’ almost mind-blowing performance. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear that was Jackson himself moving through the sinewy, rueful “Human Nature” and the crackling rage of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ ” or the celebratory “Black or White.”
The epic “Thriller” scene somehow manages to be as riveting as the original, ground-breaking video. Here, the first monster to emerge morphs from within a looming silhouette of Jackson’s father. “They Don’t Care About Us” becomes a song of raging defiance punctuated by dance that’s all stabbing angles and angry stomps. When the Jackson 5 run through “ABC” in a montage of hits, they deliver the infectious, rhythm charisma of the group’s seminal performances on “Soul Train” and “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
Paul Tazewell’s often literally dazzling costumes feature instantly recognizable renditions of Jackson’s indelible looks, from the billowy white shirt to the iconic silver-sequined glove to the red “Thriller” and military-style jackets Jackson wore with such panache.
Like the costumes, the sets (by Derek Lane) and cinematic projections (Peter Nigrini) create a world of ever-shifting color and light, and an environment that feels as elaborate as an actual Jackson tour’s massive production numbers.
Wheeldon and Nottage also take great care to acknowledge Jackson’s varied influences: Bob Fosse slinks across the stage. Fred Astaire glides by in top hat and tux. The acrobatic tap dancing of the Nicholas Brothers turn the stage into a space of jubilation.
“MJ” doesn’t truly delve who Michael Jackson was beyond an iconic, perfectionist, performer. It’s a pop psychology portrait of an icon that avoids really digging deep or dealing with the most hellacious headlines and accusations Jackson faced. It’s irresistible, nonetheless.
