MJ the Musical - Review

HEhe

“MJ The Musical” is the third Motown musical that I’ve seen after “Motown The Musical” and “The Temptations The Musical” ((“Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations” is the actual title but who tf cares)).

I show up to the Neil Simon Theater, and head straight to the ticket booth - I put in the wrong email when I bought my tickets, and—despite my 7 (!) emails to support—I have to get my tickets in person. It’s 2025, and I’m genuinely offended.

But after spelling my name several times at the counter, the ticket man is finally able to print off two tickets one for me, and one for Monica. Fun lil keepsakes, so this actually works out better for me.

We race to our seats upstairs, stopping only for a bathroom break and to fill up my water (so race may not be the most appropriate word here…). As we enter from the mezzanine foyer into the house I look out onto the stage where I see the ensemble stretching and warming up while the house lights are still on. It’s a perfect welcome to the show, focused on Michael Jackson’s preparation for the 1992 Dangerous World Tour. It’s also a perfect welcome to Broadway for Monica’s first-ever show and a lovely welcome back for me (I hadn’t been for 3 whole weeks 😭).

My only regret is that I didn’t see how they came on stage. Was it staggered? Did they greet each other like they would in a “real” rehearsal setting? I don’t know. Shiiiiiiiit I might just have to go see this thing again to find out…

The musical opens with Rob, the fictional stage manager, telling the dancers to get into their places and warm up, MJ comes out to absolute ROARING applause that would make you second guess if this was a musical or really Michael Jackson on stage. MJ, his dancers, and band then rehearse “Beat It” and it is everything that I want.

Upbeat -

Amazing choreography -

“HEhes” aplenty -

And with a Michael Jackson that sounds like Michael Jackson!

• FUCK, he sounds just like Michael Jackson.

While I won’t talk about everything that happens because 1.) I don’t remember and 2.) no one wants to read my synopsis (mfs can go to Wikipedia for that) I’ll list everything that comes to my mind 12 hours after curtain.

So, here goes:

• Berry Gordy mentioned as “BG”

• Joe Jackson fucking sucks

• Jackson 5 medley ending with “I’ll Be There” being a tender moment between MJ and his mom Katherine (you bet your ass I cried)

• “Bad” being used to tell the story of MJ being financially irresponsible

• “Thriller“ being teased in Act I

• Joe Jackson fucking sucks

• Three different ‘versions’ of MJ

  • Lil “ABC” Mike

  • “I Can’t Help It” young MJ

  • Fully blown / final Pokémon evolution of Michael mf JACKSON baby)

• “They Don’t Care About Us” is upsettingly topical

  • Great ending to Act I too

• The fucking dancing was so good

  • Like so good dude

  • Every time

  • I wanna dance like Michael Jackson

  • The “Like Mike” ad campaign should’ve been about MJ, not MJ

• Joe Jackson fucking sucks

• Michael and Quincy on the run again I LOVE Quincy Jones

  • Shout to Nasir Jones

• “Thriller” actually comes in act II as one of the greatest musical numbers I’ve ever seen. From the performance and production value, to how they fit it perfectly to the story, to how Joe Jackson (fuck Joe Jackson) was the ‘big bad’ in Michael’s Mind and what the song was about

• Joe Jackson and Rob the stage manager were played by the same actor.

  • An interesting decision that made for some cool moments and parallels

• MJ popped up out the stage like a cannonball, and got applause like it was a Michael Jackson tour

  • Fuck man just so amazing

Phew, anyway now, to be fair, I’ll list the shit I didn’t like

• Tone-deaf mf behind me singing every once in a while

• It ended

Okay, end of that list!

If I had to rate it, no one is making me but I’m gonna anyway, I’d give it an 8.5/10. It’s a jukebox musical (I LOVE) which feels a little cheap, and the story makes sense but it’s nothing too special.

If it wasn’t Michael Jackson or Michael Jackson songs it would be a pretty typical story (if my grandmother had wheels she’d be a bike). But, the production value, the imitations of Michael the CHOREOGRAPHY OH MY GOD, just immaculate.