By Kimberly Rau
The national tour of Lynn Nottage’s “MJ The Musical,” a jukebox romp through some of Michael Jackson’s biggest hits, is at PPAC this week, and if you’re looking for an homage to the King of Pop without any uncomfortable dalliances into the scandals that rocked the last decades of Jackson’s life, this is the show for you.
Directed by Christopher Wheeldon and set on the eve of Jackson’s 1992 “Dangerous” tour, the plot of “MJ” centers around a documentary filmmaker following the tour and attempting to get Jackson to dig into his past and reveal more about himself. Jackson repeatedly rebuffs her, insisting the documentary must be solely about the music if it is going to be made at all, but over the course of two and a half hours, we see snippets of the journey it took to get Jackson to the top of the charts.
The rehearsal process is interrupted by two things. First, the men who work behind the scenes with Jackson keep coming to him with concerns. The tour is too big. There are safety issues. There’s not enough money. Jackson shrugs it off and keeps adding more to the roster. Second, there are flashbacks and musical numbers that will take you straight back to wherever you were when you first saw Jackson’s epic music videos. The show does a fantastic job of recreating Jackson’s biggest hits, including “Billie Jean,” “Smooth Criminal” and, incredibly, the entirety of “Thriller” in the second act.
The show also does a nice job showing what it must have been like to really be on tour with Jackson, a noted perfectionist who would rather lose sleep than mess up a transition. Demanding, impetuous, hardworking but always trying to be kind, Jackson pushes himself as hard as he does his backup dancers. It also showcases Jackson’s penchant for practical jokes, but that’s what happens when you don’t allow someone to have any sort of childhood. The show casts the same actor as Jackson’s controlling father, Joseph Jackson, and Rob, his manager. This appears to be an intentional choice that does a good job connecting past hurts to current ambitions. On this tour, these roles are played by Devin Bowles, who does very well switching between the two entirely different characters.
Though the role of Jackson is split between three actors (including child and teenage Michael), Jordan Markus as MJ performs the majority of Jackson’s numbers, and it’s easy to forget you’re not actually watching the icon himself up there. Markus has the dance steps like he was born to do them and is ethereally light on his feet. His singing range is unmatched, and he has Jackson’s vocal patterns down pat. Erik Hamilton also gets a chance to shine as the young adult Michael, another fantastic casting choice. The role of little Michael is split between Quentin Blanton Jr. and Bane Griffith, and hats off to two kids who can’t be more than middle school age for successfully taking on the challenge of portraying a child superstar. Because while everyone working on the show is incredibly talented and shines, this is, without question, Michael’s show, and everyone works hard to bring his songs to life.
The production values for this musical are over the top, which is exactly how Jackson would have wanted them to be. Scenic designer Derek McLane, lighting designer Natasha Katz, sound designer Peter Nigrini and costume designer Paul Tazewell spared nothing to bring a visual masterpiece to life. Director Wheeldon also choreographed, and every step is incredible.
Even if you completely understand just how influential Jackson was to the music and performance world, it’s still so much fun to see it in front of you again, especially when you can pick out the dance moves that influenced the artists who came after him. And seeing younger audience members realize, perhaps for the first time, just how many things Jackson innovated for his performances, is magic in and of itself.
On its own merits, this show is perfection, but unfortunately, Michael Jackson cannot exist in the vacuum of one tour, no matter how spectacular. Most jukebox musicals will at least nod to their subjects’ biggest scandals, but not so with “MJ.” The 1992 setting puts the show just barely before the child sex abuse allegations against Jackson would break, but you’d walk out of the show thinking Jackson’s biggest problem was a bad Demerol habit. And the show barely even discusses that. (While Jackson was ultimately never convicted of any crimes against children, the number of charges that didn’t stick on various technicalities is also notable.)
If you can separate the art from the artist, or at least allow yourself a few hours of willful ignorance, “MJ” is a stunning show with an extremely talented cast. It’s a shame the narrative remains so surface level.
“MJ The Musical” runs through Jan. 26, 2025, at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. Tickets may be obtained at the box office, online at ppacri.org or by calling 401.421.2787
