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Post by A.Ham on Mar 15, 2024 14:47:29 GMT
Both "slay" and "my bad" were used in ball culture in the 1970s, and by musicians. "My bad" made it into popular culture, as I remember "my bad" being used as dialogue in the film Clueless in 1994. Thank you! I did wonder - now I know 😀 |
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Post by Jon on Mar 15, 2024 14:48:34 GMT
I was wondering about that. Also his diagnosis of vitiligo (im assuming he was diagnosed?) & then the plastic surgery. Such a complex character. As far as i recall from seeing it once, the child abuse allegations are not explored explicitly but you could argue that there is implit acknowledgement in the show through quite a sharp focus on his own abuse at the hands of his father (depicted through violence and aggression). Whether this is meant to subconsciously bias perception of the allegations, I don't know as I'm not as familiar with his story as others might be. His skin condition is touched on briefly but not laboured. In all, MJ cuts quite a tragic figure at times both as an artist and as an observer. The thing that touched me was his childishness and desire to recapture a lost childhood - something perhaps borne out through his relationships as an adult. I'm no psychoanalyst and tbh I prefer in this instance for art not to imitate life and am happy with a story that avoids the most contentious issues. However, this will obviously polarise and divide. With the Jackson family involved in MJ as well as Sony, it was never going to deep dive into his troubles. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 15, 2024 16:04:32 GMT
It’s set during his rehearsal period for the Dangerous Tour. He’s being filmed by an MTV documentary crew and there are flashbacks to his early life and various points along his career. It’s also about the creative process of putting on the tour. Myles was indeed on tonight and for the second time this week I saw it (perhaps a 1st in my theatre going life). This is going to be a whopping great hit. I bet you This will run for a shorter duration than Thriller Live Well yes Probably MJ is a big production Thriller was cheap as chips to run And the rent on that theatre Was pennies compared to The Prince Edward So yeah. This is still going to be A hit |
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Post by Dave B on Mar 15, 2024 16:29:03 GMT
So some thoughts - perhaps slight spoilers. Michael Jackson is pretty much my defining musical artist. Bad was the first album I owned. I had finally got tickets to the London residency but then of course... So I was going into this pre-disposed to love it.
The presentation and choreography is fantastic. The general concept of why this story is being told is... uh pretty flimsy. It's almost jettisoned at the end, it becomes this thing where the lift is the main story and I guess we are meant to assume that the use of the lift at the end is the happy ending, it shows that MJ was right and his vision for the tour is summed up with this leap and everything else that was being worked on all came out okay. The show just kind of ends. For all the time spent on budgeting and mortgages - there isn't any follow-up on them.
The real stand out for me was Ashley Zhangazha as tour manager Rob and Joseph Jackson. Switching his voice and body language between them so distinctively and making it utterly believable that within a second he is moving from the supportive tour manager and abusive father.
Mitchell Zhangazha as the younger MJ, just post The Jacksons is a whole lot of fun and I felt Wanna be Starting Something the highlight of the show, real impact to it especially with the two MJs. He was also great in Ain't Too Proud.
Kieran Alleyne I thought was a great dancer and seemed very confident in this. Less great on the singing. I was fourth row right at the very end (cheaper restricted view but not at all restricted) and more than once I thought as he was dancing backwards that this lips wasn't matching up with the sound. He seemed to grow in confidence as the evening went on.
Kid Michael had vocal issues a couple of times but well up for the dancing and recovered pretty well.
Two pieces of staging really stood out. When oldest MJ is doing the interview on the right and younger MJs are doing their bit on the left, MJ is looking over and gives the impression that he is looking for the perfection in them - in him - in his memories that he is looking for now from the tour. He looks like he is judging himself then and at times approving.
Now bear with me for a second here... did anyone see the recent Othello at the Globe? It has a dual role Othello with Ken Nwosu as Othello and Ira Mandela Siobhan as Othello's subconscious - portrayed by mostly dance and physical theatre. I was really reminded of this last night but in this case, it is Joe Jackson as a subconscious Iago! Notably in the big Thriller moment, but also earlier on when there is a moment almost like devil and angel on the shoulder, an aggressive Joseph instantly turns back to supportive Rob. An arm around the shoulder goes from threat to reassurance and vice-versa. The childhood with Joseph haunting MJ and returning to him throughout. Okay, I am probably stretching to add something to the shallow book but it did strike me more than once.
I guess overall, I'd agree about it being really shallow, really superficial but also wow I loved every minute of it. As soon as I got home I was on the site looking to book another ticket (my seat last night has had a £20 increase) and I've spent some time this morning looking again. I'm going to wait until there is, hopefully, an alternate schedule set as I really want to see Frost and can book with a bit more confidence.
So 4 stars with the hope/expectation that it will be 5 stars with Frost. There was no disruption or poor audience behaviour that I noticed, a couple of whoops at most.
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Post by mkb on Mar 16, 2024 1:36:35 GMT
Despite a terrible two-star book, this show is elevated to three stars by dazzling staging, and to four by Myles Frost as the 33-year-old Michael Jackson.
It's truly surprising that Lynn Nottage is behind the book; I expected better. It really is trite. Tina, Sunny Afternoon, All or Nothing and even Jersey Boys all prove that a jukebox musical about the history of a musical act can work well with a competent book.
Here we have a pushy documentary maker and her cameraman who are no more than lazy stereotypes, and their presence is solely to provide framing for flashbacks. The dialogue and interactions are dumbed-down for ease of understanding by the intellectually impaired. Example: tour director shouts "Don't point that camera in my face!" and cameraman immediately rushes over, for no evident reason, and literally shoves the camera an inch from his head. Cue some childish laughter from some in the audience.
And let's talk about the audience tonight, which, unlike at Ain't Too Proud, was an almost entirely white one. They were an absolute nightmare; it was like being marooned in the world's worst hen party unable to escape. There was shrieking and whooping and singing along, clapping incessantly, hands in the air, out of time with the music, talking loudly during spoken passages, coming and going at will, and videoing the show. Of course, everything was engineered to encourage excitable behaviour, and these days there is such a sense of entitlement with many people that they have a right to express themselves without care for whether it impinges on others.
Back to the show, the biggest disappointment with the book was that I learnt nothing new, other than that thirty-something Michael was referred to as "MJ", or is that an invention for this show? The rest of his story is well known and in any case never explored in any depth. Any controversies are skirted in favour of a eulogising approach that confers messianic status on the star.
Where the show excels is in the production design. Set design and costume changes are so fast and slick, and the look and lighting are first rate. I appreciated being in the centre of stalls row E for the full vista, while being close enough for maximum impact. There are lovely juxtapositions of MJ, Michael and Little Michael, and some effective transitions between father and tour director.
I liked that the technicians were able at key points to make the back-wall video screen look authentically like old 35mm, black-and-white celluloid. Jamie Lloyd: are you watching?
Myles Frost as MJ is sensational and the principal justification for a visit. He owns both the rôle and the stage. Voices of the rest of the leading cast are great, but Phebe Edwards indulges in an overly melismatic singing style that is a turn-off for me.
The music is the thing here, and there are some truly creative interpretations to look forward to, including the opening of Thriller being sung as a ballad before going full throttle. Too many numbers though are over, unsatisfyingly, in less than a minute, before we revert back to the dull book.
Finally, someone seems to have cut-and-pasted the song listings for the programme without removing, against each entry "Not for broadcast transmission. All rights reserved. DO NOT DUPLICATE". Oops!
Four stars.
Act 1: 19:34-20:45
Act 2: 21:10-22:17
(17 minutes longer than advertised)
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Post by mrnutz on Mar 17, 2024 10:49:32 GMT
This is - overall - an excellent show. The performances from Myles Frost as MJ and Mitchell Zhangazha as a younger Michael are extraordinary and deserve huge plaudits.
There are some breathtaking moments, usually where a classic song is staged in full (hello Thriller!), and the pace is zippy.
What lets it down is the very basic book and the high school quality writing and performances of the "documentary crew".
And yet, there's enough excellence here to overcome those flaws, soundtracked by the familiar music that reminds you why MJ was such a revered performer despite the many controversies and accusations about his behaviour. With this band, in this room, with the bassline pounding through your seat, these songs have probably rarely been heard better.
The Saturday night crowd at the Prince Edward were as badly behaved as you might expect but helped add to the fevered, pop concert-like atmosphere throughout the theatre.
4.5/5
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Post by bram on Mar 19, 2024 23:41:40 GMT
Wow. It may be that the book is somewhat simple but what an exhilarating evening of dance songand spectacle. Wow. I loved it.
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Post by shownut on Mar 20, 2024 6:59:00 GMT
Was at last night's preview.
Found the first act to be dull and uneven but the second act made up for a lot of that.
The negatives:
- Amateurish book laden with cliches
- Sluggish direction and terrible pacing, especially in Act One. Why so many 'buttons'? Audience response to most of them was very tepid
The positives:
- Incredible and inventive design
- Great choreography
- Top-notch musical direction
- Dazzling performance from Myles Frost whose depiction of MJ went far beyond mere imitation. Worth seeing for his performance alone
In terms of how they handled the many controversies surrounding MJ, (most of which didn't hit full swing until well after 1992 when this piece takes place), I thought they managed it well. The book is weak but I give it credit for not shying away from portraying Michael as an amazing entertainer but with some strong mental health challenges and questionable work habits/judgement.
Two stars for the Act One. Four stars for Act Two so that puts me at Three stars overall.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 20, 2024 13:36:07 GMT
Just won the TodayTix lottery for next week, so will get to see this. No seat allocated yet, all this says is Dress Circle.
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Post by david on Mar 22, 2024 0:07:37 GMT
A few thoughts from today’s matinee viewing. As a big fan of this type of show, when MJ the musical got announced for a WE transfer it was a no brainer in getting it booked as I knew this one would be a great watch so I managed to get C4 in the stalls which despite being the end seat it offers several advantages. It is a slightly cheaper option in the front block of seating whilst missing none of the performance. It also affords you plenty of legroom to either stretch your legs out or in my case offers plenty of dance space for the finale mega mix if you fancy showing off your own moonwalk routine. Though seriously, I felt this seat was great value for the view whilst getting the full concert atmosphere of the show. I would certainly be happy to sit here again and would highly recommend this one or C5 (same price bracket) for a “cheaper” front stalls seat.
At my show we had Kieran Alleyne on as MJ, Ethan Sokontwe as Little MJ and Cristiano Cuino on as Little Mo. I will be brutally honest and say I was a bit gutted at not having Myles on this afternoon but I will say as soon as Kieran stepped onto that stage at the start of “Beat It” Kieran won me over both with his dancing and vocals. A really impressive and assured performance and the voice was spot on as MJ. As little MJ, Ethan was an absolute star with a great voice along with some nice dance moves for his age. He may be a kid but I tell you what on that stage this afternoon he more than held his own alongside the older and more experienced cast members, particularly during the Jackson 5 medley in Act 1. As for the other cast members, absolutely fantastic to watch and I can’t really fault them.
With respect to the book from Lynn Nottage, there is no escaping the fact that as bio-musicals go, it isn’t great. While it doesn’t shy away from portraying a warts and all portrayal of MJ, in terms of depth and interest it certainly isn’t up there with say TINA or Jersey Boys as having both an engaging book backed by a strong back catagloue of songs to utilise in the show. Whilst I’m no MJ super fan, I didn’t think the book told you anything that wasn’t already known about the guy. It certainly was the weakest element in this production in my opinion.
Whist the book wasn’t great, the visuals, sound/lighting design and slick choreography and brilliant cast vocals alongside the 12 piece on stage band elevate this show to another level and combining these together made for a brilliant afternoon’s entertainment seeing MJ’s back catalogue of songs performed. I wanted this show to big, loud, colourful and in your face and oh boy it certainly delivers that in buckets. Whilst Act 1 was ok, it was Act 2 that was the by far the stronger one and the one I got most out of. The brilliant staging of “Thriller” which seeing it up close was worth the ticket price alone.
I will say that I really was expecting the audience from hell with this sort of show but we managed to get through the entire afternoon without incident and were able to enjoy this show without any sing alongs and appreciate the this wonderfully talented cast. Also a shout out to the two young lads who came dressed up in MJ costumes. They seemed to have a great time.
Will I be back? Oh definitely. I think the appeal of MJ’s music and his large fanbase will ensure that this show isn’t going anywhere for a while.
Rating - 4⭐️
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 22, 2024 7:39:47 GMT
Is the Thriller staging inspired by the video or have they gone a different route. Is it zombies? 🧟 🧟♀️ 🧟♂️
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Post by shownut on Mar 22, 2024 8:07:10 GMT
Is the Thriller staging inspired by the video or have they gone a different route. Is it zombies? 🧟 🧟♀️ 🧟♂️ The song appears twice in the show. In act one it is a snippet that is inspired by the video....in act two, it's a more conceptual take on the song and quite a good one if you ask me. |
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Post by avfan on Mar 25, 2024 13:20:35 GMT
I enjoyed this on Friday, Myles was exceptional as were the cast as a whole I just thought it lacked something. It wasn't as spectacular as I was expecting, some numbers were great but overall I don't think the framing device worked. The music and performances made up for it though and having been luck enough to see Michael Jackson twice in concert (BAD and HISTORY tours) Myles really was exceptional. Solid 3.5 out 5 for me, enjoyable evening and will go back when friends who are fans are in town.
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Post by Matt on Mar 26, 2024 9:33:17 GMT
If anyone is selling a ticket for Wednesday evening (tomorrow) please message me!
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Post by parsley1 on Mar 27, 2024 23:09:55 GMT
Oh dear
Not the raves they wanted
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Post by Being Alive on Mar 27, 2024 23:22:47 GMT
Largely what the Broadway reviews were though no?
He's phenomenal, the show is dross?
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Post by theatrefan62 on Mar 28, 2024 5:32:20 GMT
Not exactly awful reviews though? 2 x four star reviews,1 x three star and 2 x two stars are what I've seen so far.
Mixed, which is what it was on broadway
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Post by danb on Mar 28, 2024 14:10:33 GMT
No surprise at all that Frost is off today; just wish they’d advertise when press night is before you book, to avoid disappointment. Difficult not to feel cheated when people have raved about his performance.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 28, 2024 14:18:36 GMT
I saw this on Tuesday evening (after getting through a massive queue). An excellent value lottery ticket, right at the end of row F Dress Circle (no aisle next to you, but a bit of space). Perfect clear view, even though I do prefer to be further forward.
A well behaved audience too. The only issue I spotted was the usher sprinting through a row and to the front of the Dress, then having a long chat with someone, I couldn’t tell what the reason was.
I’m fairly indifferent to MJ music, but the songs I certainly know. The dancing is spectacular. The book is terrible, although a chap behind me commented “I can’t believe how deep this is”. I don’t feel the need to see this again, but I could be tempted by a keenly priced seat at the front.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 28, 2024 14:22:01 GMT
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Post by theatrefan62 on Mar 28, 2024 14:36:16 GMT
I read that earlier. Tbh people can, and should, be able to make their own minds up. If people were so outraged and disgusted then tickets wouldn't sell and people wouldn't make any money so it would stop.
People tried to cancel Harry Potter when the new game came out, and it ended up being one of the fastest selling.
Hitlers art sells for a lot of money.
'Bad' people being popular in other forms isn't new.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 28, 2024 17:03:46 GMT
No surprise at all that Frost is off today; just wish they’d advertise when press night is before you book, to avoid disappointment. Difficult not to feel cheated when people have raved about his performance. What they should be doing is publishing exactly when he is scheduled to be off in advance! I’d be pretty pee’d off not to see him I must say. |
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Post by mrnutz on Mar 28, 2024 17:26:03 GMT
No surprise at all that Frost is off today; just wish they’d advertise when press night is before you book, to avoid disappointment. Difficult not to feel cheated when people have raved about his performance. What they should be doing is publishing exactly when he is scheduled to be off in advance! I’d be pretty pee’d off not to see him I must say. Especially as all the reviews basically say "Terrible show, saved by Myles Frost". 😂 |
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Post by danb on Mar 28, 2024 17:35:58 GMT
Was there a performance schedule on the website the day it went on sale? I must have missed it.
Please don’t snark me when I have just had possibly one of the most average theatrical experiences of my life, amongst possibly the worst audience ever and with the most inconsiderate FOH staff I have ever encountered. Up, down, up, down…walkie talkie crackle, actual talking, actual talking over it during the show. All it has over ‘Thriller Live’ is a bigger budget and a nicer theatre; maybe a better sound system. It has actively made me change my attitude to him, when I realised that he was still being idolised in death. I’m fine with the music living on, but when grown men & women are cheering a representation of a known paedophile like this it gave me the major ick. What a let down.
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Post by showtoones on Mar 28, 2024 18:25:24 GMT
Myles was off A LOT when he was on Broadway. You have a better chance seeing the alternate than seeing him...
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