West End tribute to Michael Jackson keeps energy at fever pitch
Last year, we watched young performer Raymond Luke Jr. whip Broadway’s theatergoing crowd into a frenzy when he portrayed the pubescent Michael Jackson in the hit tunes-heavy jukebox musical, “Motown,” at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York.
But, “Thriller…Live!,” which has been running at the Lyric Theater at London’s West End since January 2009 (five months before Jackson’s death), requires five adult men, a woman and a teenage boy to sing Michael’s hit songs, with an agile, 16-member ensemble that keeps the production’s energy at fever pitch. Despite the costumes, none of the singers looks like the dark-skinned, Afro-clad Michael in his 20s, nor the androgynous, white-skinned King of Pop in his 40s.
The show pays loving and effusive tribute to Michael’s boundary-breaking versatility and genre-defining musicality, with a sturdy lineup of spectacularly arranged songs that don’t stop till you get enough!
The theatrical concert doesn’t chronicle the humble beginnings of its performer (like “Jersey Boys,” Boy George’s “Taboo”) or string chart-toppers that are built around an original story (“Mamma Mia!”)—but, we were OK with that because, like our friend, Dolly Anne Carvajal, we hold Michael, the performer, in high regard.
“Thriller” has sections for the musically diverse phases of Michael’s long and eventful career—from his heyday with The Jackson 5 (“I’ll Be There,” “ABC”) and Quincy Jones (“Rock With You,” “It’s The Falling In Love,” “Beat It” and “She’s Out of My Life”), to his record-smashing glory days as the music biz’s irrefutable Pop King (“Billie Jean,” “Black or White,” “Bad” and “Dirty Diana”).
“THRILLER…LIVE!” Skillful singing and gravity-defying choreography.
Production numbers
Beside us sat a beaming German woman who was explaining to her son why so many of Jackson’s songs resonated with the theatergoers, who were dancing and singing along as the concert’s production numbers were being performed.
Indeed, it was hard not to sing along when the performers rendered their competent versions of “Blame It On The Boogie,” “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”—some of our personal favorites from the musical icon’s sizable songbook. And, it got even crazier when they covered “Off The Wall,” “Heal The World” and “Man In The Mirror.”
The nostalgia-heavy spectacle doesn’t just feature skillful singing—the company works hard to “reproduce” Jackson’s flashy terpsichorean moves in “Thriller” and “Beat It.” But, as far as dance routines go, it’s hard to top the gravity-defying bend in “Smooth Criminal”—which had us humming “Annie, are you OK?” as we happily made our way out of the theater!
The singers had strong, high voices—but, “The Voice UK” alumnus, Ricardo Alfonso, deserves special mention for exceptional pipes that will remind you, not of Jackson, but of Freddie Mercury and Adam Lambert!
The theatrical concert won’t blow you away (the perfunctory stage looks portable with its multimedia-capable panels), but it works well within its limited ambitions. And, for the record, few of the performers could replicate or approximate Michael’s unique singing style.
If its producers really want the show to continually evolve, as they say they do, perhaps it’s time to add Michael’s latest hits into the hefty mix—like “Love Never Felt So Good,” his catchy duet with Justin Timberlake.
After more than 2,000 performances, “Thriller…Live!” was scheduled to wrap up its five-year run in September, but it has just been extended until April next year—so, the show must be doing something right!
