‘MJ’ : Myles Frost. Photo: Matthew Murphy

MJ
Book by Lynn Nottage
Directed & choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Neil Simon Theatre
250 West 52nd Street
(800-755-4000), https://mjthemusical.com

By Scott Harrah

Jukebox musicals that attempt to tell the story of a superstar while weaving hit songs into a narrative are always problematic in nature.  Sometimes jukebox bio-musicals work brilliantly (such as Tina and Jersey Boys) or they miss the mark completely.  Attempting a jukebox bio of an artist as iconic, enigmatic and controversial as the late Michael Jackson is inherently an ambitious effort, particularly with a book writer as first rate as Lynn Nottage.  However, while MJ fails as a solid bio-musical, it has enough of his hits to please MJ fans and tourists and is a crowd-pleaser, if nothing else.

One wonders why the producers chose to include a book and story when Michael Jackson has enough of a classic songbook to fill an entire show as a revue.  Think of past Broadway revues of songs that were huge hits like Smokey Joe’s Café (featuring the songs of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) and Ain’t Misbehavin’, starring the late Nell Carter. More recently we had After Midnight in 2013 as well as the long-running Michael Jackson revue Thriller Live on London’s West End, featuring hits by the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson.  All that would be needed for MJ could have been a recreation of all his iconic hit songs spanning the decades and that would certainly have sufficed, without the need for a book or story line.  The show, if simply a revue, would have thrilled his fans and easily run for years.  Instead, what we have here is another messy jukebox musical with an awkward book that sanitizes the truth.  MJ is not the first bio-musical to sugarcoat a music legend’s life.  Remember the Janis Joplin musical A Night with Janis Joplin a few years ago?  That show, “approved” by her estate, portrayed Joplin as an almost saintly figure and barely mentioned her pesky little heroin addiction.

MJ was produced “by special arrangement with the Estate of Michael Jackson,” so there was no way the show ever intended to give anything resembling the “real” Michael Jackson.  Here, he is portrayed as a “victim” of the media.  The story focuses on his Dangerous Tour in 1993 as he tells everything to an MTV reporter interviewing him for a documentary.  We have three versions of Michael here: Early Motown Michael (Christian Wilson), who is perfect in voice and movement. Next is “Thriller” Michael (Tavon Olds-Sample), impressive in voice and manner, if a bit too terrified of his father Joe (Quentin Earl Darrington) by that point. Finally, we have the 1993 “victimized” Michael (Myles Frost).  Mr. Frost has some of the physical qualities of Michael Jackson down well, from his wispy voice and quirky mannerisms to his famous “robot” and “moonwalk” dances.  However, Mr. Frost lacks Michael Jackson’s magnetism.

As a biographical musical that attempts to encapsulate a certain time in the superstar’s life, MJ fails. Derek McLane’s set (mostly a dreary rehearsal hall) is often drab, Christopher Wheeldon’s direction is all over the place, and Jason Michael Webb’s musical direction and orchestrations are inconsistent.  Granted, recreating Michael’s iconic pop songs and videos is no easy task, but it is difficult to know what is prerecorded here and what is live.  MJ is a true “thriller” for diehard Michael Jackson fans who simply want to see covers of his classics, such as recreating the Jackson 5 singing “ABC” on TV’s “Soul Train.”  The show works best when it aims for pure nostalgia.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 6, 2022
Reviewed at February 3, 2022 press performance.

‘MJ’: Myles Frost & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MJ’: Myles Frost & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MJ’: Myles Frost & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MJ’: Tavon Olds-Sample & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

The post ‘MJ’: Michael Jackson’s jukebox musical bio appeared first on StageZine.

POSTWAR PARIS, WITH SUBLIME GERSHWIN SCORE: ‘An American in Paris’ is one of the season’s best musicals. Photo: Matthew Murphy

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
Book by Craig Lucas
Music & lyrics by George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin
Directed & choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Palace Theatre
1564 Broadway at 47th Street
(877) 250-2929
http://www.AnAmericaninParisBroadway.com

By David NouNou

When West Side Story opened, one was witness to the dawn of a new form of musical. Yes, it was the story of a boy meets girl, but it was interpreted through a masterful score and propelled by the pulsating movement of Jerome Robbins’ dance. And so it is with An American in Paris; the fusion of the Broadway musical and ballet, set to the sublime music and lyrics of the Gershwin Brothers’ songbook, is an evening of pure enchantment. Forget what you know about the movie, because Christopher Wheeldon, the director and choreographer, has truly reinvented a new, old-fashioned-style musical. He has blended conventional choreography with ballet and come up with the fluidity of dance. Sure, ballet was used in other musicals like Oklahoma and Carousel, but only in small doses. Here it is this fluidity of dance that propels the story forward.

Still set in Paris, the time now is 1945 and the end of the Second World War. Jubilation is slowly coming back to the streets of Paris and Jerry Mulligan (Robert Fairchild), an aspiring artist, decides to remain in Paris and is befriended by Adam Hochberg (Brandon Uranowitz), an aspiring composer (the Oscar Levant role in the movie), and Henri Baurel (Max von Essen), a wannabe singer, and all three are in love with Lise Dassin (Leanne Cope). This is the framework of this musical; to tell you more would spoil the joys that await you. The one drawback of the musical is the book by Craig Lucas, and the forced obligatory humor that has to be injected into a serious musical at various interludes, when dancing stops and speaking begins.

There are a myriad of pleasures that await the viewer. I will start with the most obvious: the Gershwin songbook. Here is a feast to gorge on, thanks to Rob Fisher, who arranged and supervised the musical score. The visuals are a ballet unto themselves. The sets by Bob Crowley and the projection design by 59 Productions, melding into each other with the enchanting lighting by Natasha Katz, are absolutely breathtaking

Robert Fairchild, a principal dancer with the NYC Ballet and making his Broadway debut, almost makes you forget Gene Kelly and totally owns the part of Jerry Mulligan, the artist/American in Paris. His dancing set to Gershwin melodies is magical and uplifting. His body just floats through the air. Leanne Cope, in the Leslie Caron role as Lise, is charming but her part is less demanding and comes to life in the finale.

Now for the comedic roles: Max von Essen finally has broken through to finally claim major recognition. As Henri Baurel, the Frenchman, replete with a French accent and for comic relief destroying American idioms, is also infatuated with Lise. He manages a show-stopping number with “I’ll Build A Stairway To Paradise”…ohhh-la-la. In the Oscar Levant role, now a composer/voice of reason and narrator with comic relief, is Brandon Uranowitz as Adam Hochberg, a man who gets his inspiration to compose through his love for Lise.

I would strongly urge and advise people who are not into ballet or have a fear of sitting through it to dismiss those old phobias, and just go appreciate a “ ‘S Wonderful” score and the magic of this new form of dance on Broadway.

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MAKING ONSTAGE MAGIC: Leanne Copy & Robert Fairchild in ‘An American in Paris.’ Photo: Angela Sterling

FUSION OF THE BROADWAY MUSICAL & BALLET: The company of ‘An American in Paris.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘AMERICAN IN PARIS’ IS A TRIUMPH: Robert Fairchild. Photo: Angela Sterling

A VISUAL FEAST: Another great production number in ‘An American in Paris.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

CUTTING-EDGE CHOREOGRAPHY: (left to right) Robert Fairchild, Brandon Uranowitz, Max von Essen & the company of ‘An American in Paris.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

JERRY MULLIGAN & LISE DASSIN: Robert Fairchild & Leanne Cope. Photo: Matthew Murphy

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 17, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on April 16, 2015

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