Review: MJ THE MUSICAL at Bass Concert Hall

MJ THE MUSICAL has hit the stage at Bass Concert Hall. Is it smooth? Is it criminal?  Was it a thriller? Is it Bad? Forgive me. I love a good pun – I love a bad pun, too. Nevertheless, MJ the MUSICAL is the latest in a long history of Broadway jukebox musicals now touring in Austin. This one tells the story of Michael Jackson's life, focusing on his artistic genius and the making of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour. Written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, the show premiered on February 1, 2022, at the Neil Simon Theatre in New York. The musical highlights Jackson's work ethic, perfectionism, and certain personal struggles, offering a slightly more intimate portrayal of the King of Pop than some may have seen before. But it’s not anything new to those of us who are aware of the iconic artist’s upbringing, and avoids the artist's life after the years of the Dangerous Tour. 

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award® winner Christopher Wheeldon, MJ THE MUSICAL features many of Jackson’s most iconic songs, including “Billie Jean,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Thriller,” and “Man in the Mirror.” The musical quickly gained traction for its stellar performances and was nominated for ten Tony Awards® in 2022, winning four.

Portraying Michael Jackson as a perfectionist and tortured artist, the show focuses on a specific period in Jackson's life—the rehearsals leading up to his 1992 Dangerous World Tour. While the story centers on this pivotal moment, the musical incorporates flashbacks to Jackson’s earlier life, including his time with the Jackson 5 and the creation of his most famous solo albums like Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. All told, there are over 40 musical numbers in the show. The narrative portrays his relentless drive to create the perfect performance and how his childhood experiences, particularly his complex relationship with his father, Joe Jackson, shaped his career and persona.The MJ creative team features splendid scenic design by two-time Tony and Emmy Award winner Derek McLane, sensational lighting design by seven-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz, Costume Design by Tony and Emmy Award winner Paul Tazewell, Sound Design by Tony Award winner Gareth Owen, and projection design by two-time Tony Award nominee Peter Nigrini. There is a pedigreed litter of designers and artists involved in the stellar production.

Jamaal Fields-Green, the only person to have played the role in all three global productions, on Broadway, on the National Tour, and in London’s West End, is an exacting and calculated MJ. It's difficult to tell if Fields-Green as an actor is exacting in his role, or if MJ was exacting with his persona. It is understandable that Fields-Green holds such a distinction to have been cast for each of these productions. Josiah Benson gives Little Michael a sparkling joy and innocence, while Erik Hamilton does a great job of playing Michael as a young adult seeking a life of his own.

Hamilton may be tasked with the most difficult of the three roles, marking the pivotal time for Jackson as he breaks from his family and abusive father Joseph (Devin Bowles). Devin Bowles also plays MJ’s frustrated tour manager Rob, but as Joseph, he and Anastasia Talley as Katherine Jackson manage to play the villain and his loving long suffering wife with as much depth as can be hoped for from a story with no deep redemption and a relentless pace. It rightly gives the music and choreography a chance to truly shine (MJ even tells a reporter he wants his music to do the talking) but we’re left with a two dimensional story as a result. 

This is disappointing, as Lynn Nottage is a formidable Pulitzer winning playwright. How might this story be depicted were the years following the Dangerous Tour examined? It’s been fifteen years since Jackson died, and seventeen years lapsed between the Dangerous Tour and his death. Perhaps the hope is that we all have selective memory (or no memory at all) of Jackson being $500 million in debt when he died, or the drama involving allegations of child sexual abuse charges against him. By today’s standards, and even then, it seemed pretty easy to think he was… well… weird, and not just eccentric. Alternatively, during the '80's and '90s, he was a remarkable philanthropist who was given the Presidential Humanitarian Award. Jackson was complex, but the book doesn't reflect this.Natasha Katz and Gareth Owen deservedly won Tony Awards® for their impeccable work for MJ, and Christopher Wheeldon achieves a tall order as the Tony Award winning choreographer for this show. This is musical theatre at its most sparkling. Just like Jackson’s commitment to perfect artistry, so too, do these artists bring their craft to bear on MJ THE MUSICAL. Expectations should be high for a production based on Michael Jackson, and in this respect, there is no disappointment with the show. From top to bottom this ensemble is fantastic and the show is a worthy spectacle of the King of Pop. Jackson's story is complicated, but MJ THE MUSICAL isn’t. If you are looking for an impeccable dessert with no need for meat, it’s a great show. By focusing on his music and Jackson’s creative process, MJ THE MUSICAL can satisfy, but it’s definitely another jukebox musical that doesn’t tell a completely dimensional story.  Nonetheless, it’s one of the most gorgeous, tight, perfectly executed shows I’ve seen in recent memory, and the talented cast and Production Team deserve your attention.

MJ THE MUSICAL

Book
by Lynn Nottage

Directed and Choreographed
by Christopher Wheeldon

With Musical Supervision, Orchestrations & Arrangements
by David Holcenberg

October 8th through 13th

Bass Concert Hall
2350 Robert Dedman Drive
Austin, TX 78712

Run time with intermission: 3 hours