michael jackson dangerous tour smooth criminal

Dangerous World Tour: 1992 – 1993

The Dangerous Tour started on June 27th 1992 and ended on November 11th 1993. It consisted of 69 concerts and was seen by approximately 3.5 million people. All proceeds from the tour were donated to various charities, including Michael’s Heal The World Foundation. The tour was unfortunately cut short due to health reasons.

The tour had a spectacular ending, with what looked like Michael putting on a jet pack and flying over the audiences’ head and out of the stadium’.

Set List – 1st Leg:

• Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
• Human Nature
• Smooth Criminal
• I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
• She’s Out Of My Life
• Jackson 5 Medley
• Billie Jean
• Workin’ Day And Night
• Will You Be There
• The Way You Make Me Feel
• Black Or White
• Heal The World
• Man In The Mirror

Set List – 2nd Leg:

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‘MJ the Musical’ is startin’ somethin’ astonishing at Citizens Opera House

A remarkable thing occurs just as the opening scene in “MJ the Musical” concludes.

It takes place in a dramatically lit industrial rehearsal studio crammed with dancers, backup singers, musicians, and technicians preparing for Michael Jackson’s landmark 1992 Dangerous World Tour. Roman Banks, the triple-threat performer playing the adult Jackson (MJ), walks onto the stage just as the familiar synthesized strains of “Billie Jean” begin, as if MJ travels with a personal soundtrack that announces his much-anticipated entrances. As the music transitions into the more upbeat “Beat It” and the dancers start to move, Banks-as-MJ steps forward and immediately becomes the focal point of a four-minute adrenaline rush-of-a-production number.

So effective is the illusion of a live performance by the actual King of Pop — complete with his singular look, signature moves, and immediately recognizable high register voice and vocal hiccups — that it is met by two distinctive and prolonged waves of applause.

The first is an explosive reaction by an appreciative audience to a tremendous performance. But just as the ovation tapers, a second and wholly unexpected wave ascends. It’s a louder, longer, and more raucous aftershock, as if those in attendance have been propelled into a state of suspended disbelief by the bright lights, pulsating music, and a portrayal that is more personification than impersonation or imitation, and are applauding Jackson himself.

Other backstage biographical jukebox musicals the likes of “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations,” “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” and “Jersey Boys” — where an artist or group’s musical catalog serves as the show’s score and drives a retrospective narrative about that artist or group — strive for but rarely achieve that state of suspended disbelief. They can only dream of that second wave of response.

Even here, in a production that works overtime to resurrect the man and his music, such a response proves unsustainable. This is due, in large part, to the nature of the jukebox musical as well as the nature of the man.

“MJ the Musical,” which opened on Broadway in 2021, chronicles the major milestones of and traumatic moments in Jackson’s life by way of flashbacks typically triggered during an interview with an MTV producer (Mary Kate Moore) during rehearsals. It’s through this device that we experience younger versions of MJ (Jamaal Fields-Green and Bane Griffith) and performances of old Jackson 5 hits such as “I’ll Be There,” “ABC,” and “Dancing Machine.”

The show also provides insight into Jackson’s creative process and significant influencers, most dramatically captured in an extended prologue to “Smooth Criminal,” where Jackson dances with and reinvents the signature moves of Fred Astaire (Matteo Marretta), Bob Fosse (understudy Zion Mikhail Pradier), and the Nicholas Brothers (Chelsea Mitchell-Bonsu and Brion Marquis Watson). The elaborate production number that follows puts those moves on display.

The show is at its best when showcasing Jackson’s music in these lavish, thoroughly entertaining, and often mesmerizing production numbers, which are driven by a sizable, superb orchestra under Victor Simonson’s direction. They are bolstered by an exceptionally talented ensemble of singer-dancers and emboldened by Natasha Katz’s Tony Award-winning lighting design, Gareth Owen’s Tony Award-winning sound design, Derek McLane’s brilliantly conceived scenic design, vibrant eye-candy projections by Peter Nigrini, and spot-on period costuming by Paul Tazewell.

Tony Award-winning director Christopher Wheeldon’s background as a renowned choreographer in the world of ballet is put to good use in the orchestration and seamless staging of these musical theater moments.

But all too typical of jukebox musicals, these moments significantly overshadow the story being told between them, which then require drastic measures — such as the fictional and rather contrived MTV interview — to bring it to the forefront.

The storytelling isn’t helped by it being filtered through the Michael Jackson Estate, which sanctioned this musical and resulted in its focus on pre-scandal 1992 and its overly sympathetic portrait of the artist as a victimized young man. Sure, “MJ the Musical” addresses father Joseph’s (a dynamic Devin Bowles) abusive childrearing and MJ’s addiction to painkillers, but it offers nothing we don’t already know.

Despite the best efforts of two-time Pulitzer-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, the telling of Jackson’s story seems forced at best and, at worst, heavy-handed. It often struggles to balance the verbiage that is biographical with that which simply serves as the connective tissue that takes us from one production number to the next.

“Listen to my music,” MJ tells the MTV producer as she probes for the insight and disclosure that is never provided. “It gives you all the answers you need.” If the creatives behind “MJ the Musical” heeded this advice and generated a show that was more musical revue and less imposed exposition, it would have ended the way it began: with a second wave ovation from an enthralled audience.

MJ THE MUSICAL

Book by Lynn Nottage. Directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. Presented by Broadway in Boston. At Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St.. Through July 7. Tickets from $40. broadwayinboston.com

Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who formerly wrote for The Austin Chronicle. Connect with him on Facebook .

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Michael Jackson comes to life in ‘MJ The Musical’

M ichael Jackson is about to moonwalk his way onto Boston stages in “ MJ The Musical ,” a jukebox production based on the life of the famous entertainer that features a biographical narrative and many of the pop star’s greatest hits.

“When it comes to Michael Jackson, it’s all about legacy,” says Devin Bowles, who plays Joseph Jackson and Rob, Jackson’s manager. “Michael Jackson had a way of leaving an impression with his authenticity. Michael brought his own fashion, his own creative ideas, his own movement, his own cultural embodiment.”

Roman Banks as ‘MJ’ with cast members in “MJ The Musical.” PHOTO: MATTHEW MURPHY

The story is set as Jackson prepares for the Dangerous World Tour in 1992. Some of the scenes show Jackson and his team rehearsing for the tour; in others Jackson chats with a reporter, recounting his early days with the Jackson 5 and discussing his creative process and life with such significant celebrity.

“MJ The Musical” was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won four: Best Actor in a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design. The production was created by Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage. In the national tour cast, Roman Banks primarily plays Michael Jackson, supported by Brandon Lee Harris as Michael at a different age, and youth actors Josiah Benson and Bane Griffith playing Little Michael.

For Bowles, the musical is significant not just to honor a pop legend, but also to showcase that success in the arts is achievable for diverse talents. The cast is almost entirely BIPOC performers.

“Telling diverse stories, especially in the medium of theatre, is one of the most important variables of success in external and internal growth,” says Bowles. “Seeing a physical manifestation of someone else living and working on a caliber of art that you’re striving to be part of is important.”

Jaylen Lyndon Hunter as ‘Little Marlon’ and Ethan Joseph as ‘Little Michael’ with cast members. PHOTO: MATTHEW MURPHY

The show, which runs at the Citizens Opera House through July 7, features many of Jackson’s greatest hits, including “Beat It,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Thriller” and more, but it isn’t all upbeat tunes and jazzy dance moves. The narrative explores some of the challenges Jackson experienced, including childhood trauma, the fire that caught in Jackson’s hair during a Pepsi commercial shoot and a tense relationship with the press.

The primary goal of “MJ The Musical” is to educate about Jackson’s life while providing a fun night out. There are limits to the depth of a pop-based, high-production jukebox musical, but Bowles hopes audiences learn more about Jackson’s emotional interior, as well as his eclectic wardrobe and perfected choreography.

“I would love for audiences to take away the work ethic that Michael Jackson had. I believe work ethic is the quality of execution between idea and reality, and Michael Jackson was the blueprint for that,” says Bowles. “His music and his boldness to be the greatest is what separated Michael from the rest.”

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Moonwalking into Boston: ‘MJ: The Musical’ comes to Citizens Opera House

The story revolves around a fraught two days of rehearsals for michael jackson’s landmark 1992 dangerous world tour..

Chock full of Michael Jackson’s legendary earworms, iconic dance moves, and indelible imagery, “MJ: The Musical” glides into Boston this week. During one of two dozen performances, you can witness the King of Pop’s breathtaking moonwalk, signature spin and toe-stand, sequined silver glove, tilted fedora, and the tight black pants with scrunched white socks.

The jukebox musical, presented by Broadway in Boston at the Citizens Opera House June 18-July 7, also doesn’t shy away from Jackson’s infamously eccentric behavior and various controversies — his attempts to buy the Elephant Man’s bones, his hyperbaric chamber, and his changing appearance. There are flashbacks to his tumultuous upbringing and his hair dramatically catching on fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial for the Jacksons’ 1984 Victory Tour.

What audiences won’t hear about? The allegations of child molestation that dogged Jackson during the later years of his life (he was acquitted at trial in 2005). In 2019, those accusations exploded back into the public eye when a documentary, “Leaving Neverland,” chronicled disturbing allegations from James Safechuck and choreographer Wade Robson that Jackson abused them as children.

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“MJ”’s creators, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage (“ Sweat ,” “Clyde’s”) and celebrated ballet choreographer Christopher Wheeldon (director of “ An American in Paris ” on Broadway) had already been working on the project when that documentary came out. Wheeldon acknowledges in a Zoom interview that the allegations forced them to decide if they could continue. “As a group of creators, we had lots of discussions, lots of soul searching,” he says. They chose to proceed, he explains, because “We really wanted to focus the show on the art, his music and his process, but without turning our backs to the complexities around his upbringing, and it’s not without exploration of the controversy around him.”

“People often say, ‘Is it possible to remove the artist from the art?’ And it’s a question that we address in the show,” he says. “No, it’s probably not entirely possible to do that. But we show a side of Michael that people perhaps aren’t necessarily expecting.”

In creating the show, Wheeldon says he and Nottage wanted the audience “to experience the feeling of being a fly on the wall in Michael’s creative process.” The story revolves around a fraught two days of rehearsals for Jackson’s landmark 1992 Dangerous World Tour, before the first accusations against him came to light. During preparations for the extensive tour, pressure mounts and Jackson pushes his team harder than ever — demanding ever-more extravagant bells and whistles from his manager. As funds run low, Jackson is told he may be forced to mortgage his beloved Neverland Ranch.

The story is framed through the lens of a documentary news team, led by an assertive producer who hopes to score a revealing interview with Jackson. The exacting star laments his discomfort and frustration living under an intense media spotlight. Woven throughout are many of his signature songs, including “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” “Thriller,” “Bad,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin,’” “Man in the Mirror,” “Black or White,” and more.

The show explores Jackson’s psychic pain from his turbulent childhood, with a demanding and abusive father who relentlessly pushed his sons toward consummate perfection. “We based our show around certain father figures Michael had, including his own father, but also the artistic father figures like [Motown founder] Berry Gordy and [record producer] Quincy Jones,” Wheeldon says.

Finding actors to play Jackson was daunting, but the creators found worthy talents. Myles Frost, who debuted the title role, became the youngest performer to win a Tony Award for “Best Actor in a Musical.” On tour, Roman Banks assumes the role. Wheeldon says he and Nottage were adamant that their MJs go beyond impersonation and get to an “artistic interpretation” of the man. “There are a lot of very good Michael Jackson impersonators out in the world,” Wheeldon says. “But we wanted to find young Black actors who could bring themselves to playing him and capture his essence.”

Banks’s aim is to give audiences a glimpse into the icon’s heart. “How can I humanize this larger-than-life entertainment figure who at times really doesn’t feel like a human being? Yes, the music is so important. Yes, the moves are so important, but I was like, ‘The man is just as important.’”

To prepare to play Jackson, Banks devoured Jackson’s music videos, interviews, television appearances, and books. He still watches Jackson videos every day. At intermission of a recent matinee, Banks says he was reviewing parts of the “Billie Jean” video. “I never stop trying to get better and more effortless,” he says.

To gain insight, he spoke with many people who knew Jackson, including family members, former manager and estate co-executor John Branca (a producer on “MJ”), and dancers like Rich and Tone Talauega, the celebrated choreographers who are part of the “MJ” creative team.

“What were the things he was stressed about?” Banks wondered. “What were the things he was excited about and embraced? How did he look at himself at that time?”

He absorbed other nuances from his own upbringing. Banks’s mom is a big Jackson Five fan, so the group’s music often played around the house. When Banks was a teenager, he was shocked to discover that his uncle had been a dancer in the “Bad” video, and Banks made him pull it up on YouTube. “I was like, ‘Shut up! That’s you? No way! Why did you guys never tell me that?’”

While Wheeldon says he wasn’t a diehard Jackson fan growing up, the music and videos were inescapable. “Bad” was his “coming-of-age album,” and he had a poster of Jackson hanging over his bed in his ballet school dorm room.

He also found that they shared sources of inspiration. Having worked with legendary dance virtuoso Jerome Robbins, Wheeldon sees the choreographer’s influence on Jackson, along with Broadway and classic movie-musicals like “ West Side Story ,” which Robbins co-directed. “I mean, the ‘Bad’ video is basically hip-hop, street, and Robbins combined,” he says. “Michael loved ballet and apparently used to grand jeté around his dance studio in LA and take ballet barres. He was such a sponge.”

Aside from pulling from Jackson’s “tapestry” of inspirations, Wheeldon also wanted to include some of his own stylistic point-of-view. But it was also helpful to have the Talauega brothers on hand to teach the intricacies of Jackson’s style. “They know why his iconic kicks snap out and then snap back inwards before going down because they had firsthand experience of Michael talking about that.”

Despite Jackson’s monumental impact on pop music, dance, and culture, even Wheeldon agrees that the enigmatic icon, who died 15 years ago this month, “will forever remain a mystery to the world.”

Some audiences may come to see “MJ” looking for “a kind of forensic biographical investigation into all the things that Michael potentially did wrong in his life,” Wheeldon says. But in the end, the “MJ” team created the show to “make people feel good.”

“There was an enormous amount of deep, considered discussion amongst all of the creatives. So the challenge then became: How do you balance those complexities with the entertainment factor of a show? It works for some people, and it doesn’t for others. You’re not going to please everyone.”

MJ: The Musical

Presented by Broadway in Boston. At Citizens Opera House, June 18-July 7. Tickets from $50; www.broadwayinboston.com