As we all know, Michael's life before his untimely passing was 50 years long and his career and achievements spanned several decades. I have been a Michael Jackson fan for almost my entire life so I wanted to share honest my review of MJ The Musical and my star rating of one of Broadway's new and hot shows.
Storyline
First, let's get into the storyline and a bit of background. MJ the Musical is set in 1992 during the Dangerous tour rehearsals and there are 3 performers representing Michael Jackson throughout his life. First, Little MJ, Michael (who reps Off The Wall, Thriller era) and then the main character of this show who represents Michael from the Dangerous tour, MJ, played by Myles Frost. MJ is somewhat of a narrator of the entire show, looking back on moments from his past. MJ the Musical delves into the creative mind of the King of Pop and strives to share all of the key moments with us that molded one of the world's most impactful entertainers.
To be honest with you guys, I went in with low expectations because although I do love Broadway, it's rare that I enjoy anyone else singing or performing Michael songs. BUT... I absolutely loved it! I thought the cast, the music, the choreography and visuals were outstanding. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was being reminded and educated of key moments in Michael's life and it didn't seem redundant or surface level. So let’s talk about the cast, the music, choreography and things to know about the show.
Before we continue, I want to share that I will try to keep this review spoiler free and I won't be giving TOO many details away for those who plan to see it. If you HAVE already seen it or don't mind spoilers, I do have an hour long review audio vlog up on my Patreon exclusive Podcast where my husband MJJ Anonymous and I share our initial thoughts, just hours after seeing the show and we dive deep into all of the songs, the cast, and so much more. To listen to that and access other premium content including my experience visiting Hayvenhurst the Jackson family home last October, visit patreon.com/mjfangirl today.
CAST
I cannot speak on the cast without highlighting the main MJ, played by Myles Frost.
Leading up to the show, I was nervous about whether I would get to see the main actor playing Michael, although I've heard positive things about the understudies too. However, I knew that Myles Frost was the one I'd heard people RAVE about. And he brought it 100%. You could tell that he not only studied Michael's music and moves, but his mannerisms as well. Generally speaking, I have found that in previous depictions of Michael on screen, the actors tend to not pay as much attention to the small gestures and movements that we all recognize to be Michael. I was impressed because although for me as a longtime fan who has been watching clips of Michael for my entire life, it did take me a bit to get into accepting that this actor on stage was Michael, once the MUSIC began- I was sold and immersed into the on stage world. All of the actors were amazing and besides the Michaels, a lot of the cast played roles that went in and out of the past and present, making it a really dynamic show and it held my attention the entire way through.
MUSIC
As for music, I loved that the songs used were not just your run of the mill Michael Jackson hits. They incorporated songs like Stranger in Moscow, Blame it On The Boogie, Human Nature, Keep The Faith and even Price of Fame, songs that were not only important to Michael and autobiographical in nature but also served to introduce an audience to MJ music that they might not have known before.
CHOREOGRAPHY
The choreography was very powerful, taking elements of the original choreo and also incorporating the emotions of the scene. I thought as a fan I would miss the original dance moves that we all know and love but, after a few songs, I didn't notice at all and really appreciated the dance moves being performed on stage.
FAVORITE MOMENTS
1. 3 MJs - Of course, as a fan of Michael's life's achievements I knew that they would have several actors play him and I think each one of them channeled Michael amazingly at those different points in his life.
2. Loved how they gave props to Michael’s inspirations
3. There was a lot of talk of who Michael Jackson was as a person, which you would think may be redundant for fans but, it was not as surface level as I expected. It really did try to show you what molded Michael into the man he is and I felt like I left understanding Michael more because of the way it was presented and because of the visuals and how the music was used to describe key moments in his life.
Overall Grade - 4.5 Stars
I think they did everything amazingly and there were just a few small things from my perspective that could've made it a full 5 stars, which I go into on the audio vlog on Patreon. My husband and I were so impressed that we stayed and met Myles Frost afterwards and shared how much we loved the show. Mark my words, he will likely get a Tony award for that performance!
