Choreographers Cris Judd, Bryan Anthony Join FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE Michael Jackson Musical

Award-winning playwright/filmmaker Julien Nitzberg today announced that choreographers Cris Judd and Bryan Anthony have joined the company of his new musical FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE, AN UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL FABLE ABOUT Michael Jackson AS TOLD BY HIS GLOVE. Cris Judd danced with Michael Jackson for many years, most notably at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, on The Dangerous Tour and HIStory Tour, where he became one of Michael's main dancers. Bryan Anthony danced as an 11-year-old with Michael Jackson, Alfonso Ribeiro and the other Jackson brothers in an infamous 1984 Pepsi commercial.

Bryan Anthony also choreographed and was Assistant Creative Director to Barry Lather on the Donny & Marie Osmond show in Las Vegas, adding to FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE a certain verisimilitude to the character of Donny Osmond, whose attempted appropriation of Jackson's looks and moves in real life is among the many cultural arrows in Nitzberg's rich satirical quiver.

Both choreographers' contributions bookend that of another figure close to Jackson, producer Tony Jones, who worked with the whole Jackson 5 as they exploded and has been working with Nitzberg and FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE for the last 2 years.

Said Nitzberg: "I knew I wanted to work with people who would enrich the show through their personal experiences. Cris Judd and Bryan Anthony both danced with Michael Jackson. They not only draw on that experience as choreographers but also give our cast insights into the real life of Michael Jackson. They have been consistently adding wit to the dancing that pays tribute to Michael that also comically enhances our political commentary.

Nitzberg adds: "Since our star Jerry Minor, who plays the title character, was raised as a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses, he brings to the show the pain he lived by growing up in a repressive cult. Our show delves into the sexual repression that the Jehovah's Witnesses use to torment their members. One number highlights the Jehovah's Witnesses' teaching that masturbation can turn you gay. Many in our company had never heard of this belief, but Jerry talks about hearing this from a young age and being made to confess his sinful sexual thoughts to church elders. An important part of the show explores how homophobia and sexual repression probably affected Michael."

Judd's career highlights include dancing with Diana Ross on the music video for Take Me Higher. As a choreographer Judd's body of work spans live events, TV and film including Jennifer Love Hewitt's Pro-Bowl Halftime show, "Bringing Down The House" (staring Queen Latifah and Steve Martin), and the fan-favorite 420 Dance for Netflix's Disjointed. Cris Judd and Bryan Anthony also appeared together as dancers at the 1998 Motown Through The Years Super Bowl Halftime with Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, and Boyz II Men.

Anthony was a dancer in the cult classic film "Showgirls." Bryan started acting at the age of 5 doing commercials and work on television shows such as Different Strokes and Small Wonder. He has danced with an incredibly diverse list of artists including Paula Abdul, Reba McEntire, Boyz II Men, Queen Latifah, Paulina Rubio, Donna Summer, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez and Carrie Underwood. He continues to work as both an assistant creative director, assistant choreographer, and choreographer for such shows as Miss America, Kids' Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, American Idol, Disjointed, Coop & Cami, Henry Danger and Fuller House. He has also stunt-danced and doubled for Adam Sandler in the films "You Don't Mess with the Zohan," "Bedtime Stories," "Jack & Jill," and "The Do Over."

FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE stars Jerry Minor, (Daily Show correspondent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Dr. Martin Luther King in Netflix's Historical Roasts, SNL) as Michael Jackson's glove THRHIL-LHA, and Eric B. Anthony (The Lion King on Broadway) as Michael Jackson. As with the hit Broadway musical AVENUE Q, and THE LION KING, the performers and puppets are equally visible in FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE. This show does not use "Muppet-style" puppets, but rather original, meticulously built Japanese Bunraku-inspired puppets designed by Robin Walsh and created with her associate puppet artists Adrian Rose Leonard and Ron Binion. Realistic and close to life size, these 20 all-original works of art portray all members of the Jackson 5, Donny Osmond, Emmanuel Lewis, Corey Feldman and Bubbles the Chimp.

FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE opens January 25, 2020, the inaugural production of the Carl Sagan- Ann Druyan Theater on the ground floor of the Center For Inquiry (CFI-West) 2535 W. Temple Street at Rampart, adjacent to Hollywood and DTLA. Tickets: www.fortheloveofaglove.com

The show's producers are Leigh Crawford, Tony Jones, Julien Nitzberg, Sam Sarkar (CEO of Infinitum Nihil, which is not involved), and Betsy Zajko, and Burk Zanft, the sole investor.

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