Review: King of Pop’s life and music dazzle in ‘MJ’

For many Illinoisans, the most famous celebrity with the initials M.J. is Bulls phenom Michael Jordan, but the now-touring musical “MJ” is about Michael Jackson’s life and music, and while there’s no basketball, the popularity of the King of Pop almost guarantees the musical’s success will be a slam dunk. When you see Roman Banks in the part of the 1992 version of Michael, you’ll swear the spirit of Michael is alive in Banks’ soft-spoken, moonwalking, robot-dancing, powerful-singing-voice portrayal. To put it another way, for a smart entertainment investment, check out Roman Banks.

“MJ” – with a Tony Award-nominated book by Lynn Nottage – focuses on 1992 in the days leading up to a four-continent “Dangerous” world tour, following the success of the “Thriller” album. “MJ” is produced “by special arrangement with the estate of Michael Jackson.”

In the musical, an MTV reporter (Mary Kate Moore) and her videographer (Da’Von Moody) are given access to observe the rehearsal process and talk with Michael and those overseeing his tour: Rob (Devin Bowles) and Nick (J. Daughtry). While the focus of the interview questions is supposed to be only the music, not Michael’s personal life, it’s inevitable that topics like his childhood – including the abuse he suffered at the hands of his taskmaster father (also played by Bowles) – and his career interactions with Berry Gordy (also played by Daughtry), Quincy Jones (Josh A. Dawson) and others come up, resulting in on-stage flashback scenes, with Josiah Benson playing “Little Michael” on press night (Ethan Joseph plays the role at some performances) and Brandon Lee Harris portraying the late-teens/early-20s version of Michael in those sequences. Both Benson and Harris get the chance to show the kind of amazing voice that those of a certain age remember when it was the Jackson Five – aka Michael and his brothers – who had chart-topping songs.

The musical features short or full-length versions of 40 songs – from the biggest hits (“Bad,” “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” “Thriller” [staged with zombies, of course], “Smooth Criminal,” “Rock With You,” “I’ll Be There,” “ABC,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”) to ones that were made famous by other singers or aren’t as familiar to a casual Michael Jackson fan (“Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” “Higher and Higher,” “Shout,” “Keep the Faith”). There’s even a talent show excerpt as Benson sings a Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.”

Another recurring theme – based on the tabloid stories – is emphasized through “Price of Fame” (“It’s the price of fame, it’s the price of fame, so don’t be feelin’ your pain”). Some of the music segments – including outstanding choreography from director Christopher Wheeldon – were staged and sung so well that standing ovations weren’t postponed until the curtain call.

“MJ” was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It won four – for choreography, lighting design, sound design and the performance of Myles Frost, the Broadway lead. But Roman Banks makes the role his own in this national tour. His biggest previous credits were as the first BIPOC actor to play the lead in “Dear Evan Hansen” on Broadway, and appearing in the Disney+ series “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” This will elevate his profile big time.

There’s a lot to praise about “MJ” besides Banks. For example, the actress playing his mother, Katherine (Anastasia Talley), isn’t just a comforting buffer between her husband and her sons. Talley gets the chance to show her caring side but also a strong, beautiful singing voice.

The numerous outfits from costume designer Paul Tazewell are excellent; projection designer Peter Nigrini has created some stunning images to surround the action on stage; and Natasha Katz’s lighting design uses a wide variety of illumination sources to great effect.

My only concerns with the overall performance are relatively minor: Nottage’s script has very little humor – this is mostly a dramatic musical, not a musical comedy. And there are a few times when Banks’ soft-spoken voice – a tribute to the real Michael’s speaking voice – is too soft, making it difficult to hear.

Those items aside, it’s an excellent show for Broadway in Chicago to kick off its fall season with. So I’ll leave you with this thought: For a show that’s the opposite of “Bad,” it’s just “Human Nature” to “Beat It” to the Nederlander for “MJ.”

• Paul Lockwood is a singer, local theater actor, Grace Lutheran Church (Woodstock) and Toastmasters member, theater reviewer, podcaster, columnist and past president of TownSquare Players. He’s lived in Woodstock for over 22 years.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “MJ”

WHERE: James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago

WHEN: Through Sept. 2

INFORMATION: broadwayinchicago.com