Michael Jackson Broadway Musical Opening Next Summer
Michael Jackson: literally not canceled. Although Jackson’s reputation suffered severe damage this year when HBO’s Leaving Neverland documentary brought renewed attention to longstanding allegations that he was a serial child molester, producers are moving ahead with a Broadway biomusical about the self-proclaimed “King Of Pop.”
The New York Times reports that MJ The Musical, formerly known as Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, will open next summer at the Neil Simon Theater. The show is scheduled to begin previews on 7/6 and officially open on 8/13.
Producers on the play include the Michael Jackson Estate and Columbia Live Stage. The book is by Lynn Nottage, the playwright who won Pulitzer Prizes for his work on Ruined and Sweat. Christopher Wheeldon, who won a Tony for An American In Paris, will direct. A scheduled pre-Broadway run in Chicago this year was scrapped in the wake of the controversy surrounding the documentary.
MJ The Musical reportedly focuses on the early 1990s moment when Jackson was preparing to tour behind his Dangerous album. By that point in his career, his pattern of sexually abusing children was allegedly well underway. Wheedon told the NYT in April that the show would “lean into the complexities, lean into the darkness, but also recognize the great amount of music and film and choreography that Michael left behind.” No new details about the play’s content are available as of now.
MJ. Broadway. July 6. Priority ticket access: https://t.co/wsrHx5NPnX #MJtheMusical @michaeljackson pic.twitter.com/lhX3ZcJfWV
— MJ (@MJtheMusical) October 10, 2019