I’m standing between the parking garage and the back of the Hult Center with EW photographer Eve Weston, waiting to be escorted to Jordan Markus’ dressing room for an exclusive interview. He is the titular star of Broadway’s MJ The Musical in the national touring cast who is in residence at the The Hult Center until Sunday, July 27. This meeting is a luxury I would not receive if the real late Michael Jackson were in town, who was famously very reluctant to give in-depth interviews.
In fact, that is most of the very loose story depicted in MJ The Musical. In the play, Jackson, being a very guarded person, finally drops his emotional walls and offers journalists insights to his life — and this is very important — all (and only) through music. These include a classic suave “Smooth Criminal,” an unexpected but must-see new take on “Thriller,” some ballads about childhood, and an anti-paparrazi rendition of “They Don’t Really Care About Us.”
Though the numbers are impressive, just moments into the show, Jackson delivers the line to reporters that “I wanna keep this about the music,” making it clear that he will not be answering any other questions, both to the reporters and to the audience.
The emotional framework for this bio-musical is established through the backdrop of these fictional interviewers who have changed their angle from “puff piece” to trying to get to know the “real” Jackson. Between Jackson preparing for his 1992 Dangerous world tour and telling reporters about himself, the timeline jumps back and forth from the “present” (of 1992), to essential points in his career. These include his rough early childhood with the Jackson 5, recording with Quincy Jones as a teenager, and fighting various (very vague) demons along the way.
As Weston and I walk into Markus’ room, we are greeted with the actor standing by a rack that holds all of his most iconic costumes from the show. He explains each piece, how they are made with quality materials that replicate the original pieces almost exactly, but remains hush-hush about the cost or work that goes into creating each one. He says that the iconic glove, heavy, bejeweled and beautiful, is fitted exactly to his hand and is one of the most expensive props in the show. His iconic red and black “Thriller” jacket is made of thick genuine leather, which he says is one of the hardest to remove during quick-changes because the cuffs are so tight.
Also, every jacket is fully lined and very heavy with zippers and jewels. “You should see them after the show,” he says. After the intense physicality that goes into each performance under the hot stage lights, “they’re drenched.”
Markus is a 25-year-old kid (compared to Jackson’s 33 in 1992), and it’s his first foray into Broadway. He says that in 2023 he initially auditioned for every character except for Michael Jackson, because the role was already filled at the time. Yet, Markus was quickly cast as the lead alternate as well as teen Michael. In late December 2024, it was announced that Jamaal Fields-Green, who was playing adult Michael, was moving to London’s West End and Markus was taking over.
He’s smiley and soft-spoken, clearly very grateful to be here. Though he was born in the year 2000, says that “I was just such a fan as a child, and I would do his moves in my mom’s house in the living room. I’d move all the furniture out of the way and just spin around and try to do the moonwalk in my socks.”
From “Billie Jean,” to “Beat It” and every other Michael Jackson song you can think of, Markus brings enthusiasm to the fedora-toting, glove-wearing, crotch-grabbing essence of the character. Being the closest in height to the star compared to the previous MJ’s in the touring cast (Markus says he’s a friendly 6-foot to Jackson’s 5 ’10”), from a distance and in the dark, he looks almost uncanny. His cleft jaw is as sharp as a knife, and the milky-whites of his doe-eyes glow under the beaming stage lights just as Jackson’s once did. His height lends to a certain lankiness, so that his limbs allow his dance moves to appear almost as though they are occupying Jackson’s body once again.
And this is more than intentional. Markus, and the rest of the stunning ensemble background dancers, worked with Rich and Tone Talauega, who choreographed the real Jackson during his final world tour. They trained Markus relentlessly to make sure that the movements were an absolute match.
“I remember my first rehearsal with Rich and Tone. I’ll never forget this. We worked on just the first eight counts of “Billie Jean” for four hours. Four hours of just eight counts,” he says. The eight counts in question involve a tip-toe, a crotch-grab, a hip-sway, a hat tip and other Jackson signature moves.
This jukebox musical includes some incredible numbers that span the entirety of his career up to 1992 (though, depressingly neglected was the all-time greatest song ever, 1985’s ensemble “We Are The World”).
The sequences of Jackson’s young life truly stand out. Quentin Blanton Jr. and Bryce A. Holmes alternate the role of young Jackson and are both remarkable. There’s something rather touching about watching this depiction of Jackson, played by actors around 10 or 12-years-old, who sound almost identical to him as a child. The shared performance offers a ringing of a stolen innocence mixed with childhood exuberance. With purple jumpsuits, bulbous afros and cute little kid clothes, the young actors radiate a type of joy that would soon be lost in Jackson’s life, but is so much fun while it’s here.
All of the musical numbers throughout the show are great. The Jackson 5 medley is a blast, while the rendition of “I’ll Be There” between young Michael, adult Michael and his mom is tear-jerking and poignant, with a particularly mesmerizing performance from Anastasia Talley as Katherine Jackson (whose voice is so mind-blowing that she garnered applause every time she opened her mouth to sing).
Moreover, Erik Hamilton’s teen Michael shares a couple of powerful scenes with Josh A. Dawson as Quincy Jones, who both give outstanding song performances that deserve more stage time.
Of course, this show is mostly about an adult Michael. Markus balances emulating Jackson’s larger-than-life presence while he performs, with his demeanor of a soft, kickable puppy when he doesn’t.
It makes me wonder why this show is not simply a tribute concert. If you’re a fan of Jackson’s music, this certainly has it, but it offers nothing else. If you’re looking for a piece of media surrounding Michael Jackson that will contribute anything to the discussion other than moonwalks and flashing lights — despite what the promotional materials would have you believe — this one will not. This play was put together in cooperation with Jackson’s estate, which is very unsociable when it comes to anything other than incredibly pro-Michael propaganda.
I asked Markus about the scrutiny and controversies that have risen with this musical, and about the choice to portray someone so famous but with such a troubled legacy. He gave me the expected dodgy responses that were not fully related to my question. “I think any artist is subject to (scrutiny). I mean that’s very welcomed in any space such as Broadway. In music, there’s differing opinions.” He also says “the only pressure that I allowed myself to feel from an audience standpoint is wanting to do justice to the art, justice to the artist and justice to the work.”
The show promises to keep it about the music, and it should have done that completely. The staging of the play is large and glamorous, reminiscent of 1920s Broadway. It relies on snazzy neon lights, minimal props, and seamless blink-and-miss-it scene changes before your eyes. There is a lot of useful empty space on stage that allows for flowing movement between the dancers and the special effects.
The set is one large, dazzling box separated out from any place in the real world.
That, by extension, is how Jackson’s life is portrayed.
While it attempts to show some difficulties he faced, such as some brief non-specific pill-popping and an abusive childhood, it truly skirts around what is in the back of all of our minds, instead depicting a theatrical, even romantic (non-sexual) version of Jackson. “We don’t have time to tell his entire life. That would take weeks if anything. But I think that we got a really good point in his life where success meets turmoil,” Markus says.
Jackson was very talented, and he remains one of the most famous musicians in history. He also lived a deeply tragic life, was extremely ill, and allegedly partook in many bizarre and heinous acts. The show acknowledges none of this, much preferring to paint him as a victim of the evil news media. Rightly so, I guess. It is family-friendly after all. But then, why even attempt to depict his life if so much of it isn’t appropriate enough to discuss correctly or with nuance?
The plot comes across more like a slow breather between numbers, and feels like drugstore nylon stockings: cheap, flimsy and see-through. That being said, opening night was met with an earned multi-minute standing ovation. Come for the glamor, the music and especially come if you’re a die-hard fan. Just don’t expect to learn something new.
MJ the Musical is 7:30 pm Thursday, July 24, 8 pm on Friday, July 25, 2 pm and 8 pm on Saturday, July 26, and 1 pm and 6:30 pm on Sunday, July 27, at Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall. Tickets start at $49 and are available at HultCenter.org