Will Broadway do justice to the King of Pop himself? This was the question I kept repeating in my head on my way to the theater. On April 15, the Gateway drama program went to see MJ The Musical on Broadway. I was one of the lucky students able to attend.
The musical shows Michael Jackson (MJ) getting ready for the Dangerous world tour, when a MTV crew gets permission to film the process over the course of two days. The first act of the musical delves into MJ’s upbringing through flashbacks. As he practices for the world tour, we get a look into his mind on how the people around him warp into his darkest fears. Through this new viewpoint, we see the world through MJ’s eyes.
The show opens with a stellar performance of Beat It. During this part, the crowd was electrified. The actor for MJ, Matte Martinez, brought the heart and soul of Michael Jackson onto the stage. During his performance, it was a little hard to understand what he was saying at times, but his singing was on point. Matte’s dancing was also extraordinary. Watching him recreate some of MJ’s most iconic moves was mesmerizing.
I think the best vocal performance goes to Sasha Allen who played Michael’s mom, Katherine Jackson. When she started singing, “I’ll be there,” to little Michael, I started tearing up. Her siren like sound pulled you from your seat and into the world of the story.
The best dance overall was Thriller. In act one they teased us with the instrumentals and a little dance break to it. But, in act two we got the full song. It opened with little Michael singing alone in the dark, and soon after adult MJ joined in. The harmonies between Matte Martinez and Christoper Sean Cooper Jr., (little Michael), were chilling.
After a few lines sung together, little Michael leaves, and it’s just MJ. He sings alone on a dark stage with a dark figure moving in the background. As the figure gets closer, the music becomes eerier. And when the figure finally reaches Michael, the stage lights up, and the full song plays. Over all, the build up was the best part. The entire time I felt scared, but I also felt filled with anticipation.
This musical is a must see if you are ever in New York. The singing, dancing, and acting really felt like the real people. My friends and I were joking that they resurrected Michael Jackson from the dead just to perform for us. This was a 10/10 musical, and I would highly recommend it to any Michael Jackson fan.
