Stage review: ‘MJ The Musical’ spans decades of music and family trauma

For all we know about the legendary Michael Jackson, it seems like there’s just as much that the King of Pop kept to himself.

His creative process, what it was truly like growing up with Joe Jackson, how he felt about the rumors that plagued his career.

“MJ the Musical,” playing through Sunday at the First Interstate Center for the Arts, attempts to share insight into Jackson’s world by taking audiences through two days of rehearsal for the “Dangerous” world tour.

We hear hit after hit, of course, but we also hear a lot about Jackson’s personal life via conversations Jackson has with a reporter covering the tour rehearsal for MTV.

The musical features a book by Lynn Nottage and is directed and choreographed by Christoper Wheeldon. David Holcenberg provided musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements.

As audiences were filing into their seats, the performers were filing into the industrial rehearsal space onstage. It was a simple choice, but it made me feel like we were on the other side of the rehearsal room as dancers stretched and chatted on stage.

Eventually, stage manager Nick (J. Daughtry, who also plays Berry Gordy), announced “5 minutes to Michael.” Just a few moments later, in walked the man himself, who launched into “Beat It.”

There have been, and will always be, performers impersonating Jackson, but there’s something truly special about Jordan Markus, who plays adult Jackson, or MJ.

When he’s performing Jackson’s songs, he’s got the confidence and sincere emotion needed to pull it off. When he’s speaking, he nails Jackson’s soft, higher pitched voice with sincerity, not with a teasing imitation.

He brings humor to the role, with quippy responses (“If we don’t do this, God will give the idea to Prince.”), plus a red clown nose and a water gun at one point, but also conveys just how seriously Jackson took his work.

Quentin Blanton Jr., who played Little Michael on Tuesday, and Erik Hamilton, who plays Michael in his teen and young adult years, carried the same reverence for Jackson. The dancing (Michael Balderrama is the global associate choreographer) was sharp, the vocals were well-executed, and both performers had the spark so many saw in Jackson throughout his career.

It’s with reporter Rachel (a lovely Cecilia Petrush, who I wish we got to hear more singing from) and cameraman Alejandro (Anthony J. Garcia, who was fun to watch while he tried to balance professionalism with being a huge fan of Jackson’s) that Jackson opens up.

Yes, he’s had a little plastic surgery. “This is Hollywood. Who hasn’t gotten a new nose?”

No, he doesn’t bleach his skin. “I’ve got a skin condition called vitiligo. It’s slowly robbing me of my pigment.”

He’s faced with more questions during a press conference that leads to “They Don’t Care About Us,” one of my favorite moments in the show.

While Markus leads the show, we also spend a lot of time with his manager Rob, who Jackson bounces ideas off and looks to for support. As Rob, Devin Bowles is grounded where Jackson has his head in the clouds, dreaming of ways to take the “Dangerous” tour to the next level.

As Joseph Jackson, I think Bowles struck a little fear in the hearts of everyone in the audience, not just Michael’s. Bowles hunches his shoulders forward a bit as Joseph, towering over the performers playing Michael. His voice is deeper and sharper, accented to match Joseph’s Arkansas drawl. But really, the difference is in Bowles’ eyes. He looks at Michael with something unfatherly – maybe disdain or envy – that I could feel from my seat.

In one scene, Markus and Blanton both flinched when Bowles, as Joseph Jackson, spoke. It was a small moment that said a lot about the relationship between father and son.

It’s impressive the speed and ease with which the actors playing multiple roles, like Bowles, Rajané Katurah, who sweetly played Katherine Jackson as well as singer Kate on Tuesday, and Jahir L. Hipps, who played Quincy Jones and Tito Jackson on Tuesday, were able to switch from one to another.

The talented cast also includes Michael Andreaus, Jojo Carmichael, Josh A. Dawson, Croix DiIenno, Zuri Noelle Ford, Ui-Seng François, Andy Golden, Melvin Gray Jr., Treston J. Henderson, Bryce A. Holmes, Skye Jackson-Williams, Faith Jones, Jacobi Kai, Rachel Lockhart, Michaela Marfori, Matteo Marretta, Kendrick Mitchell, Zion Mikhail Pradier, Austin Rankin, Tyrone Reese, Jed Resnick, Anastasia Talley, Avilon Trust Tate, Brion Marquis Watson and Charles P. Way.

The set changes too were equally as fast. One moment, we were in the rehearsal space, the next we were in the Jackson family home, or the Apollo Theater or a recording studio. One moment Jackson and his dancers were performing “Thriller” in a graveyard, the next they were a hall of mirrors for “Man in the Mirror.”

As could be expected, the costumes, casual and appropriate for rehearsal scenes, were amplified when Jackson, at any age, was performing. Markus, wordlessly putting on Jackson’s iconic sequined glove, drew big cheers from the crowd at the top of Act Two.

When performing such well-known songs, audiences expect them to be note-perfect, and I don’t believe anyone left disappointed in the work the musicians on and below stage did.

The orchestra features Nathanael Wilkerson (music director/conductor/keys), Jason Yarcho (co-music director/keys), James Wade (drummer), Mesia Austin (percussion), John David Bratton II (bass), Julia Levin (guitar), Peter Michaels Jr. (musician swing),

Billy Jay Stein and Hiro Iida provided electronic music design, John Miller is the music coordinator and Rick Hip-Flores is the associate music supervisor.

Local musicians included Eric Moe (trumpet), Andy Plamondon (trumpet 2), Al Gemberling (trombone), Gary Edighoffer (reed 1), Steve Friel (reed 2) and Gregory Fulton (guitar 2). Craig Volosing is the local musicians’ contractor.

“MJ the Musical” shares a lot about Jackson, while also only covering a brief moment in his life. More highs and lows were on the way for Jackson, though he likely didn’t know quite how high or low at the time.

It seems accurate to think that an older Jackson would have thought the same thing a younger Jackson told Rachel during the show.

“Hopefully my music is what people hold onto, not this noise around me.”