”MJ” to open in the West End

Broadway hit MJ has set its West End premiere and revealed its venue.

Winner of two Tony Awards, the show is currently playing on Broadway and follows the life and work of the famous singer Michael Jackson, centring around the famous 1992 Dangerous World Tour.

The piece is penned by Lynn Nottage (Sweat) and directed and choreographed by Royal Ballet associate artist Christopher Wheeldon. The creative team also includes designer Derek McLane, costume designer Paul Tazewell, sound designer Gareth Owen, projection designer Peter Nigrini and hair and wig designer Charles LaPointe.

Musical supervision is by David Holcenberg and the orchestrations and arrangements are by David Holcenberg and Jason Michael Webb.

With casting to be revealed, the show will run at the Prince Edward Theatre from March 2024. The venue is set to play host to Ain’t Too Proud from spring 2023, after Mary Poppins concludes its run.

Nottage said today: “As a Black musician and a pioneering voice in the music industry, Michael Jackson demanded inclusion, broke incredible barriers and in the process made indelible music that continues to resonate, delight and move listeners today. I am drawn to his complicated, singular and uncompromising creative process, and to understand where, why and how he made his music.

Wheeldon said: “I am thrilled that MJ will come to London, having been embraced by New York audiences since it opened. Michael Jackson had a profound influence on popular culture, as well as all of us as performing artists, and this musical is an exploration of that artistic mind and a creative process which is unmistakably Michael Jackson.

“It has offered us the opportunity to put one of the greatest catalogues of pop music ever written up onstage in a show that combines the thrill and energy of a Michael Jackson concert with a glimpse into a pivotal moment of his pioneering career. After many years working with the Royal Ballet and bringing the Tony Award winning An American In Paris to the West End, I now very much look forward to bringing MJ to UK audiences.”

On-sale details and more are to be revealed.

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