MJ the Musical , a production based on the late
Singer Michael Jackson ’s life, has premiered in
London. The award-winning musical, made in collaboration with the Jackson estate, has received critical acclaim in the US, earning 10 Tony award nominations. Transferring to the West End, the
UK edition stars the same actors including Myles Frost as MJ, Ashley Zhanghaza as his father Joseph Jackson, and Mitchell Zhangaza as Michael. Jackson’s children, 27-year-old Prince, 25-year-old Paris, and 22-year-old Blanket were in attendance at the press night, which took place at the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End on Wednesday night (27 March). The children have led relatively quiet lives away from the limelight and their appearance marks one of their first forays into public life all together. Prince and
Paris were born to the “Thriller” singer and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe, who were married from 1996 to 2000. Blanket, whose real name is Bigi, was born with the help of an unidentified surrogate. He was exposed to international fame as a baby when his father dangled him over a balcony in Paris to show him to the paparazzi waiting below. Former Celebrity Big Brother star Marisha Wallace also appeared at the event, days after leaving the Big Brother house last week. She was the fifth housemate to be evicted after she lasted 16 days with the likes of Louis Walsh and winner David Potts . Other celebrities in attendance at the event included Interstellar composer Hans Zimmer, Stricly Come Dancing stars Arlene Phillips and Darcey Bussell, and talk show host Jeremy Vine. In The Independent’ s four-star review of the show, theatre critic Alice Saville writes: “As the grown-up MJ, Myles Frost moves with a dreamy, fantastically eerie lightness, whether he’s moonwalking, pranking everyone by dressing up as a janitor, or squirting his business manager who advises him to mortgage Neverland Ranch with a water pistol. “He’s the ringleader of his own circus now, and having sacrificed his childhood and health (suffering horrific burns in a stage accident) to someone else’s dream, he’s not willing to compromise ever again – however financially or morally ruinous the consequences might be.” The musical has received some backlash due to allegations of abuse made against the performer during his lifetime, which he denied. Some charges were brought to court in 2003 and were dismissed by a jury acquitting him in 2005, although further allegations emerged posthumously. Portrayals of Jackson have been contentious over the years as productions attempting to cover the late singer’s life continue to develop. Most recently, Dan Reed – the director of HBO’s 2019 documentary about the allegations, Leaving Neverland – called out a forthcoming biopic by Training Day director Antone Fuqua (in collaboration with Jackson’s estate) for ignoring the child
Sexual Abuse allegations against the musician. Reed said he had seen a draft script for the movie and called it a “complete whitewash” that ignores certain details about the accusations against Jackson. The performer died in 2009 due to a lethal combination of medication. His personal doctor, Conrad Murray, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2011. MJ the Musical will be playing until September this year.