Review: MJ THE MUSICAL at The Fisher

MJ, the Musical thrills audiences with the story of the Man in the Mirror, Michael Jackson. The show portrays his experience while preparing for his record-breaking tour, The Dangerous World Tour in early 1990s. The story starts in the rehearsal room, as we see who Michael Jackson was, the family dynamics that impacted his career growing up in the spotlight, and how fame affected him. The audience sees his life story told in flashbacks dating back to the 1960s with Jackson 5 all the way to 1992. 

Jamaal Field-Green takes on the iconic role of Michael Jackson. He is not only wildly multi-talented when emulating the king of pop, but his range for acting, singing, and dancing is out of this world. Throughout the performance, the audience had a visceral reaction to Jamaal Field-Green when he sang some of Michael Jackson's most famous hits. He was the perfect mix of playing the part of someone so well known but really putting his own twist on the role. There were mid-show standing ovations and applause that did not stop after Thriller. I was awestruck by him and can't wait to see what he does in the future.

Another performance I wanted to highlight was Devin Bowles as Joseph and as Rob. I am always amazed to see actors playing multiple roles in the same show. Still, in this particular show, Devin Bowles's performance was so well planned and executed that I forgot he played both roles until a transition occurred. He would start a scene as the cold and abusive father to Michael Jackson, Joseph, and then quickly switch to Rob, MJ‘s kind and understanding tour manager who really had MJ‘s best interest at heart. It's a compliment to the play write and Devin Bowles for being such an expressive actor. His vocal and emotional acting skills were already impressive, but his physical acting really stuck with me. Each character had a different posture, mannerisms, and gates when they walked across the stage. This can be a challenging feat, but he made it look effortless.

I want to point out the Director/choreographer, Christopher Wheeldon, whose impact on MJ the Musical has made this a ca n’t-miss show. Between the impressive interpretations of some of Michael Jackson’s most groundbreaking dance moves to the group numbers, I was on the edge of my seat the whole performance just from the pure musicality of the show. With the assistance of a scenic designer, Derek McLane, they made MJ the Musical such an immersive experience. Mclane and Wheeldon incorporated a mix of digital scenic design, physical props, and costumes that really took the audience back to Motown and the different phases of MJ‘s career. This was by far the best show of 2024 for me, and I would recommend this cast, especially for their lead performers and the energetic ensemble that created such a fun show. 

MJ, the musical, runs through Sunday, November 3, at The Fisher Theater. Tickets can be purchased here.

Trigger warnings include strobing lights, child abuse, and prescription drug use.

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