There’s only one
Michael Jackon, and to this day he remains the undisputed King of Pop. As
Rolling Stone magazine stated, “Trying to trace Michael Jackson’s influence on
the pop stars that followed him is like trying to trace the influence of oxygen
and gravity”. He was a musician that continually changed the landscape of music
and dance, and someone whose talent I greatly admired.
Fun fact: my karaoke
song choice is Jackon 5’s “Ben”. Despite being released two years before I was
born, the sweet song about a pet rat has been a favourite all my life.
Recently
I was given the opportunity to see the Michael Jackon celebratory show “Thriller
Live” at the 2015 Sydney premiere. Having run for 5 years in London’s West End,
it promised a visual, audio and electrifying journey through the magic of
Michael’s 45 year musical history. Who could say no to that? I wasted no time
inviting a fellow MJ fan to accompany me and together we discussed the
difficult choice producers must have had to whittle down the hits to fit into a
single show.
The song choices did not disappoint. Over the
2 ½ hour show, we were treated to renditions of Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel,
Smooth Criminal, Billie Jean, Thriller and so many more (although sadly for me,
there was no pint-sized singer’s version of Ben).
There were moments of brilliance.
Britain’s Sean Christopher wowed the audience with his moonwalk and trademark
MJ moves, making the audience believe they could have been watching Michael
Jackson himself. Fellow Britain Alex Buchanan was unbelievable, his performance
of “Beat It” earning him a standing ovation.
Despite my initial reservation of a female performer, Aussie’s own Prinnie
Stevens did an exceptional job.
There were some moments that left me
feeling as though I was watching an episode of Glee. Too much cheesiness, uninspiring
choreography and an over-the-top version of Dirty Diana from Australia’s Mig
Ayesa detracted (albeit momentarily) from the overall wonder of the show.
The band, led by John Maher, was
incredible, and I appreciated the way the production allowed band members to
shine front of stage. It’s not often you get to see the musicians during a
musical show, and their integration was great.
My highlight was seeing that
anti-gravity leaning dance move from Smooth Criminal.
Thriller Live is a highly engaging
show with all the right ingredients for a great night out. Audience
participation is encouraged and the crowd spent much of the night dancing in
their seats. My friend and I left the
theatre inspired to dig out our old albums and listen to the show hits and
those that didn’t make the cut.
Thriller Live is playing in
Sydney for just three weeks. Don’t miss your chance, buy your tickets here.
