Music, fashion and dance explode onstage in MJ the Musical
When it comes to Broadway shows that stop you in your tracks, MJ the Musical delivers a singular kind of electricity. Named one of our top picks for the season by Time Out theater editor Adam Feldman, this production brings the unmistakable magic of Michael Jackson that hits on all fronts: music, movement and style.
From the very first beat, the show pulls you into Jackson’s orbit with hit after hit—“Beat It,” “Bad,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Man in the Mirror”—songs you know by heart and maybe a few forgotten loves. But this isn’t just a concert disguised as theater. The story uses the 1992 Dangerous World Tour rehearsals as its frame, flashing back through Jackson’s childhood and career to explore the moments that shaped his artistry and ambition. It’s structured less like a linear biography and more like a dynamic memory sequence, one that’s constantly in motion.
Photograph: Courtesy of MJ the Musical
That movement is no accident. The choreography, created by Christopher Wheeldon, who also directs the show, includes many of Jackson’s original steps and sequences. Wheeldon—best known for An American in Paris—goes beyond imitation. He preserves Jackson’s signature style while enhancing it through the language of Broadway, creating a vocabulary that combines theatrical finesse with emotional and physical rigor. The result is choreography that feels both rooted in legacy and freshly alive.
You’ll see the toe stand, the glove pop and, of course, the moonwalk. But you’ll also see ex