MJ- The Musical (Broadway Touring) at The Music Hall, Kansas City MO (May 7-12, 2024)

The ‘King of Pop’ lives again on stage, and opening night in Kansas City proved to be every bit a “thriller”-

MJ: the Musical is a Broadway production, on tour for the first time and KC was fortunate to have an early date on its North American run, currently playing downtown at The Music Hall through May 12, as the penultimate selection in the current PNC Broadway in Kansas City season, brought to us by The American Theatre Guild.

Featuring a libretto by two-time Pulitzer Prize for Drama recipient Lynn Nottage and stunningly precise choreography from Tony Award®-winning director Christopher Wheeldon, MJ features more than two dozen, mostly familiar hit songs. But it also goes beyond the hit records and uniquely innovative dance moves, and into past events that forged the man he would become and also his creative process, always in the pursuit of an unattainable level of perfection.

Delayed by the global pandemic, the production opened at the Neil Simon Theatre, and would go on to become a ten-time Tony Award® nominee, winning four and audience’s hearts along the way, despite some mixed reviews.

This touring production features three Michaels – a child version played by Josiah Benson (or Bane Griffith), teen Michael played by Brandon Lee Harris and is anchored by an uncanny and triumphant performance by Roman Banks, playing the adult Michael.

The show is worth seeing for Banks’ performance alone, who must have adopted the extreme work ethic of Michael himself- looking, sounding, and dancing in an effort that goes beyond simple role tribute.

The setting is a rehearsal space in early 1992, as Michael and his band and dancers prepare for their global Dangerous World Tour, with Michael determined to earn $100 million dollars for his new charitable ‘Heal the World’ Foundation, and despite his accountants and business managers saying the tour and related, will bankrupt the singer.

Mary Kate Moore plays Rachel, a journalist sent to get an exclusive interview with the notoriously private star and she and her cameraman Alejandro, find there’s more under the surface of tour preparations, than expected. This interview format allows the stage-play to move backward in time, visiting young Michael and his brothers just starting out in Gary, IN, his early solo career, and eventual ascent to worldwide stardom.

This approach allows these “multiverse Michaels” to be able to sing together, and adult Michael allowed to be present and be able to reflect during pivotal moments of his upbringing. Memorable highlights of the first act included a bedroom number with young Michael and his mother Katherine (Anastasia Talley) and a novel dance session when The Jackson 5 appeared on the highly influential, ‘Soul Train’ TV show.

The second act starts with a bang and two of Jackson’s most popular hits, but the underlying premise of the singer’s unstable financial status remains, and the stakes become higher in ensuring that the upcoming tour is a success. Despite the many highs of Jackson’s long career, the singer’s lows aren’t ignored either with the topics of his father’s abuse, family pressures to succeed together, prescription addiction, and other accusations, all either addressed or mentioned.

His father’s insistence that Michael tour with The Jacksons after the greatest success of the “Thriller” album, is even depicted – the 1984 Victory Tour with all six brothers that would open with three consecutive nights locally at Arrowhead Stadium (going on to play only the US and Canada, with Michael announcing to the crowd at the final Los Angeles show, that the brothers would never be playing together again).

Throughout both acts, the staging and lighting were seamless, effortlessly moving between ‘locations’ and time periods in a natural way, which allowed for more of a focus on the actors, songs, and the dancing. The talented Banks proved to be as vocally versatile on softer songs, like holding the note on the delicate “She’s Out of My Life” in Act II, as he was on the upbeat, angrier songs like "They Don’t Care About Us” which took us into intermission.

Though the song order wasn’t completely chronological, any selection that diverted from that seemed to have an authentic purpose and so was easily forgiven, such as 1995’s “Stranger in Moscow” done just after halfway into Act I, which served as an analogy for the singer’s own isolation and necessary social detachment.

“Man in the Mirror” done towards the end of Act II, proved to be the Rent-like “Seasons of Love” moment for the story, with the cast coming together with the collective self-realization and knowledge that ultimately, the music and the spirit behind it, would guide the tour through any difficulties. And the ending moment, while being only a simple culmination of everything that was being worked for, is perfect.

As with most jukebox-style musicals, the cast comes out following, for bows and accolades, and a final medley that sends the audience home– smiling and singing on their way out the doors, and this was no exception.

On this opening night, the sense of collective joy was palpable and authentic, not just a polite affirmation to the performers, but a real appreciation of a thoroughly enjoyable production, deserving to represent The King of Pop.  MJ: The Musical is the “thriller” worth seeing, we were hoping it would be.                

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  (National Tour Photos by Michael Murphy provided by their website) / Click on any image to enlarge and see in full) 

ROMAN BANKS as Michael Jackson with Cast

BRANDON LEE HARRIS as young Michael with Cast

ROMAN BANKS as Michael Jackson with Cast in MJ: The Musical

ROMAN BANKS as Michael Jackson with Dancers / Cast during a music video shoot

JAYLEN LYNDON HUNTER asl little Marlon and ETHAN JOSEPH as Little Michael with Cast

JOSIAH BENSON as little Michael and ANASTASIA TALLEY as Katherine Jackson

ROMAN BANKS as Michael Jackson in MJ: The Musical