Going to a West End musical, you say? I’m actually not the musical type, I’m more of a concert person. Oh it’s about Michael Jackson? I guess I can make an exception.
It was my mom’s idea to take me to a musical when I spent my 25th birthday in London. When the lights dimmed in the Prince Edward Theatre and MJ The Musical started, I still had my doubts. I’m not fond of theatre, nor actors breaking into a song every other minute. However, that feeling quickly changed when I started to see the production actually did a pretty good job intertwining Michael Jackson’s life story with his songs.
In MJ The Musical you see Michael Jackson preparing for tour, while being interviewed by a journalist for a documentary, resulting in flashbacks where you see a younger Michael and learn about his upbringing.
As someone who’s too young to have consciously experienced Michaels Jackson’s music era, it was an eye opener. The musical showed an internally struggling artist, mostly because of how his father – and later the press – treated him. It talks about the pills he took, the gossip about the changing color of his skin, his questionable relationship with young boys… But it’s mostly a very human portrait, sometimes brought with a touch of humor. And of course, it also emphasized the major impact he’s had on music.
Although I was already familiar with his songs, I didn’t actually know them, you see. There’s one line in the musical that stayed with me in particular, it was something Jackson said to the journalist that came down to this: “If you want to know me and where I’m at, just listen to my music. Listen to what I write. It’s all in there.”
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And I did feel like that’s the case. Lots of songs still feel very relevant today. Like “Planet Earth / Earth Song” with lyrics such as:
“Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we’ve shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores?”
“What about children dying (What about us)
Can’t you hear them cry (What about us)
Where did we go wrong (ooo, ooo)
Someone tell me why (What about us)”
Or “They Don’t Care About Us” with the following lyrics:
“Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I’m tired of bein’ the victim of shame
They’re throwin’ me in a class with a bad name
I can’t believe this is the land from which I came
You know, I really do hate to say it
The government don’t wanna see
But if Roosevelt was livin’, he wouldn’t let this be, no, no
All I wanna say is that they don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that they don’t really care about us”
Or “Black or White”:
“I’ve seen the bright get duller
I’m not going to spend my life being a color
Don’t tell me you agree with me
When I saw you kicking dirt in my eye
But, if you’re thinkin’ about my baby
It don’t matter if you’re black or white”
The musical allowed me to really listen to the lyrics because they were so intertwined with his life story. And whatever you may think of him as a person (still being talked about and controversial years after he passed), he had undeniable talent and his impact on the music industry and the inclusion of artists of color (for example on MTV) is incredible.
I would’ve loved to have the chance to witness a concert of his, but sadly that isn’t possible anymore. So this musical came close enough. The actors really did a fantastic job, with many of them portraying multiple people during one show. Especially somewhere in the middle – around the break – of the musical, it became spectacular thanks to some special effects, which made it feel like an actual concert. I guess my mom was right, it was a great way to end my 25th birthday in London.
The musical is scheduled in London until February 28. So if you’d like to go as well, you can buy tickets here (I have no affiliation with this show or venue, I just genuinely liked it). Just don’t be afraid of heights if you choose the cheapest seats ;-).
Written by Nikita
Nikita – founder of Nikita’s World – is a Belgian author of feminist feelgood & a journalist specialized in pop culture and the creative industry.