Michael Jackson-inspired musical to start previews July 6 on Broadway
Courtesy: MJ The MusicalA Broadway musical inspired by Michael Jackson‘s life and music has a new name, and an opening date.
Previously known as Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, the show will now be called, simply, MJ The Musical. Preview performances start at Broadway’s Neil Simon Theatre on July 6, 2020, with the official opening scheduled for August 13.
Tickets go on sale January 15, 2020 at 10 a.m. Visit MJTheMusical.com for priority ticket access.
The musical features a book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage, and features Michael’s iconic songs. Tony Award-winner and famed choreographer Christopher Wheeldon will direct. The show is currently in the development stages.
According to Deadline, a show spokesman said the new name is a “better and stronger choice than relying on the title of any one individual song.” Deadline also points out that a pre-Broadway engagement was canceled earlier this year weeks before HBO aired the controversial MJ documentary, Leaving Neverland. The producers blamed the cancellation on scheduling difficulties caused by an Actors’ Equity strike, though Equity disputed that.
Following the documentary’s airing, Wheeldon and Nottage spoke to the New York Times about the now-problematic project, with Wheeldon insisting that neither of them considered withdrawing from the show.
Wheeldon said, “You can’t watch the documentary without being profoundly disturbed by it, but…we’re not judge and jury. In our process, we’re facing it pretty much head on, but we’re also studying the many facets of Michael Jackson.”
Nottage said, “I see the artwork that we’re making as a way to more deeply understand Michael Jackson and process feelings, and ultimately that’s what theater can do.”
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