PicksInSix Review: MJ The Musical - Broadway In Chicago
MJ – All about the Music.
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy
If you need a more obvious example of the deep connection of Michael Jackson’s extraordinary pop legacy on our musical culture and psyche, you need look no further than the cover of the Playbill for the North American tour of “MJ” that officially opened at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre on Wednesday night. The iconic black and white graphic of Jackson in mid-flex, floating with heels high, chin defiantly pitched and shaded by a black fedora and poised in a defiant, forceful motion that appears to glide across the ruby red background on the page, says it all. No title necessary.
As every member of the exuberant, capacity crowd was aware—red carpet A-List attendees and frenzied fans from in and out of town—the long-anticipated opening seemingly electrified the corner of Randolph and Dearborn at the epicenter of Chicago’s Theatre District. And that eager and unabashed excitement continued straight through the performance as Jackson’s musical legacy unfolded from childhood music sensation to pop superstar.
Presented by special arrangement with the estate of Michael Jackson, a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and directed and choreographed with unbridled passion by Tony Award®-winner Christopher Wheeldon, “MJ” features a non-stop adrenaline rush of several dozens of Jackson’s chartbusting music including hits from the early days of the Jackson Five and his ground-breaking solo career.
In a sweeping narrative set in 1992 days before the launch of Jackson’s Dangerous World Tour, the show evolves from a rehearsal session that introduces the extraordinary Roman Banks as Jackson—a performer of unparalleled physical and vocal range—whose arresting presence captivates every moment he is on stage. In the context of the rehearsal, Jackson’s story stretches past the sorted familial relationship with his domineering and abusive father Joe (Devin Bowles) and the Jackson’s breakthrough with Berry Gordy, to Michael’s collaborative work with Quincy Jones that paved the way for solo stardom. Nottage delves deeply into the sources of Jackson’s obsession with perfection in his work.
The backstory is framed in flashbacks told through the device of a fictional MTV interview that allows the Jackson catalog to weave in, out and around the action with a team of superb Jackson’s of various ages—Brandon Lee Harris as middle Michael and Josiah Benson as little Michael, at the opening—along the way. All the while, Banks serves as narrator and observer of the story of Jackson’s life as it unfolds, until it is time to return to the iconic vocal performances—and Wheeldon’s spellbinding choreography—buoyed by the rich, and often explosive, scenic elements (Derek McLane) and projections (Peter Nigrini) punctuated with dynamic lighting (Nastasha Katz), pin-point perfect costumes (Paul Tazewell) and sound (Gareth Owen) that magnify the lavish, non-stop musical core of the show.
Jackson’s career as originator, innovator and pop superstar is brilliantly conveyed by Banks, who reveals the aspirational, soft-spoken, visionary artist as one committed to the music at all costs in the face of the rising stakes to his health. During an era when industry views were literally shifting overnight by MTV, the media and public demand, the sheer force of Jackson’s impact becomes a turning-point in the story and the complicated life of one of the most celebrated—and conflicted—performers of all time. At some point, for a future generation, it may be necessary to include “MJ” on the Playbill cover. But, not here and not now. That impact shines vividly through September 2 on the Nederlander stage in Banks’s stunning performance and Wheeldon’s equally extraordinary and exhilarating choreography and direction.
PHOTO | Matthew Murphy
North American Tour
James M. Nederlander Theatre
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