Former 5 Star lead vocalist, songwriter and Brit Award-winner Denise Pearson is to make her West End debut in Thriller - Live, the spectacular, high-octane show specially created to celebrate the career of the world's greatest entertainer and undisputed King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
She is joined by award-winning Ricko Baird, who co-choreographed Michael Jackson's Number 1 hit, "You Rock My World", and doubled for him in the video. He was also lead dancer alongside Michael himself on the award-winning "Dangerous" on the "Michael Jackson and Friends" tour.
Thriller - Live, celebrating the musical hits and career of
Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5, is moonwalking into the West End after three acclaimed UK tours and standing ovations across Germany, Holland and Scandanavia.Thriller - Live begins previews at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue on Friday January 2. Press night is Wednesday January 21. It is booking to Sunday April 12.
The full cast of Thriller - Live includes:
Denise Pearson and Ricko Baird and the previously announced young boys,
Layton Williams (the first black
Billy Elliot, and star on TV of Jonathan Harvey's "Beautiful People"); Sterling Williams (18 months as young Simba in "The Lion King"); and newcommer Kieran Alleyne; are joined by Roger Wright, who created the role of Simba in the original cast of "The Lion King" and played Marvin Gaye in the West End production of "Dancing in the Streets"; John Moabi (2008 Evening Standard Best Musical "Street Scene");
Ben Foster (Doody in the West End production of "
Grease") and Ashton Russell, with Kamilah Beckles; Ivan Blackstock;
Jordan Darrell; Jo Dyce; Christabelle Fields; Elliott James; Earl Perkins; Danni Rothman; Emily Rumbles; Ross Sands;
Sean Williams; and Yasmin Yazdi.
Denise Pearson formed British R & B group 5 Star - dubbed "the British Jackson 5" - in 1983 with her four siblings, Stedman, Lorraine, Doris and Delroy. 5 Star songs written by her include "Stay Out of My Life" - the group's only self-composed Top 10 hit - "Hard Race", "There's a Brand New World", "What About Me Baby", "Live Giving Love", "Let Me Be Yours", "Feel Much Better", "Funktafied", "Don't Let Me Be the Lonely One", "Tell Me What You Want"; "I'm Still Waiting", "Tienes Mi Amour", "The Love You Bring To Me", "Going With the Moment" and "Show Me". In 1986, 5 Star received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance for Pearson's composition, "First Avenue", which was the B-side of 5 Star's first hit single "All Fall Down". In 1987 the group won a Brit Award for Best British Group. They disbanded in 2006. After moving to California with her family in the early 1990s, Denise married a racing driver. In 1994 she gave birth to a son, Karan Saneinia, followed by a daughter, Hassa Alexis Saneinia a year later.
Ricko Baird is from St Louis, Missouri, where he started dancing on the neighbourhood street corners. By the age of 12 he was adopted by a well-known and inspirational dance teacher. Moving to Los Angeles in 1996, he went on to dance in concerts and videos with
Janet Jackson, Britney Spears,
Tina Turner and Christina Agulliera, among many other top artists. He has choreographed for Mya, winning a Best Choreography Award for the US Top 20 hit "My Love is Like... Wo". The video featured Mýa acting as a one-woman circus, performing various circus tricks throughout the song, was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards. He choreographed
Jennifer Lopez's most recent tour.
To bring to life on stage the distinctive dancing and sound of many of pop's greatest hits, Thriller - Live includes eye-popping video footage and effects together with dazzling choreography by the show's award-winning director
Gary Lloyd (who has previously worked with Leona Lewis,
Will Young, Gareth Gates,
Emma Bunton, Robbie Williams, Pink, Anastacia, Lemar; Rachel Stevens,
Kelly Clarkson and Girls Aloud) and additional choreography by five-time MTV award-winning LaVelle Smith Jnr. The Musical Director is John Maher. Thriller - Live was originally conceived and created by Executive Director of the show, Adr
Ian Grant, a long time associate of
Michael Jackson, and author of '
Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary'. Thriller - Live is produced by
Paul Walden and
Derek Nicol for
Flying Music in association with Adrian Grant for Key Concerts.
Performances run on the following schedule:
Evenings:
Tuesday – Saturday 8.00pm Sunday at 7.30pm
Matinees:
Saturday at 4.00pm
and Sunday at 3.30pm
For more information call the box office: 0844 412 4661 or visit:
www.nimaxtheatres.com/thriller.
Tickets cost £22.50 - £49.50 + £1 Restoration Levy. All tickets are £10.00 off for previews.
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