The Broadway Michael Jackson musical has a star.
Ephraim Sykes, who played David Ruffin in “Ain’t Too Proud” this past season, and was Tony-nominated, will take the role.
Lynn Nottage is writing the book and Christoper Wheeldon is directing the musical called “MJ.” The show begins performances on July 6, 2020 at the Neil Simon Theater.
Michael will also be portrayed as a child and teen, obviously. But the gist of the show is going to be all about “Thriller” and stop there, when Jackson’s life was at a high. It will likely not delve into anything after that.
But the music of “Thriller” and “Off the Wall,” plus Jackson 5 hits and Michael’s early solo hits like “Got to Be There” will make enough of a show. I wouldn’t expect anything fallacious or terribly factual. Like “The Cher Show” and “Tina!”, “MJ” is designed as a souvenir jukebox that will send audiences out dancing, not suing.
