REVIEW: MJ the Musical - QPAC, Michael Cassel Group

MJ the Musical

QPAC Lyric Theatre, Michael Cassel Group

Directed & Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon

Book by Lynn Nottage

Photography by Daniel Boud

"Hopefully my music will be what people hold onto, not this noise around it"

I’ve always had FOMO about never seeing Michael Jackson perform live. Growing up with his music, you hear the stories and watch the music videos, so walking into MJ the Musical, I was curious to see how a musical would tackle someone so unique, so peculiar, and so widely known. And this production doesn’t just rely on nostalgia. It builds a full theatrical spectacle while digging into the mind behind the music. His sound, his movement, his legacy are all so instantly recognisable, which makes it incredibly hard to get right. So, my expectations were sky high! (Sorry not sorry, this is a long review and I will endeavour to remain impartial.)

Set during the rehearsals for the 1992 Dangerous World Tour, the show is framed through an MTV documentary crew, led by Rachel (Penny McNamee) and Dave (Tim Wright), giving us a “mixtape” of Michael Jackson’s life. We move fluidly through the past, jumping between childhood, Jackson 5 fame, and his rise as a solo artist, all while watching him meticulously craft what he hopes will be his most ambitious tour yet. Much like other biographical musicals such as The Boy from Oz, Dusty and Tina, we’re watching an artist reflect on their past while in the middle of creating something new. But where those shows lean more into their relationships and private life, MJ keeps its focus firmly on the music, the process, and the pressure. Focusing on the 1960s to 1992, it steers clear of his later allegations, controversies, relationships, and family life, which I appreciate in a grand stage musical.

The world is already in motion before the show even “officially” begins. The cast and band wander onstage in a rehearsal room setting, so you’re immediately dropped into the process. What starts as a drab LA dance studio gradually expands as Michael’s imagination takes over, with projections, lighting and sound transforming the space into everything from the disco floor of Soul Train to a full-scale stadium arena. The design team, including Derek McLane’s scenic work, Peter Nigrini’s projections and Paul Tazewell’s costumes, plays a huge role in shaping that scale and fluidity.

The sound design by Gareth Owen is on another level. Backed by a live band, including a rich horn section, there’s a depth to the sound that really fills the space. There were moments, especially during Stranger in Moscow nd She’s Out of My Life, where I closed my eyes and it genuinely felt like being at a stadium concert, with the vocals reverberating around you and the bass buzzing in your bones. Somehow it is both intimate and massive at the same time.

Vocally, this Australian cast is doing something pretty extraordinary. The covers on at my performance, Luther Brooks IV and Ceeko, were incredible. You wouldn’t have known they weren’t the principals. But that’s just the required standard across the board. There’s nowhere to hide in a show like this.

All three performers portraying Michael at different ages capture that signature high speaking voice and delicate falsetto, all while singing with strength and precision through some seriously demanding choreography (the stamina required is no joke!) It makes sense when you hear MJ say, “If I’m not moving, I get restless.” Everything about the performance is built on that constant motion.

What I appreciated most is that this isn’t just a “greatest hits” concert (even though you absolutely get the hits!). Beat It arrives early and wastes no time setting the bar. Act Two sends the audience into a full frenzy with Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal, complete with a dance evolution that traces the lineage of Michael’s movement style, from the Nicholas Brothers to Fred Astaire to Bob Fosse. The choreography doesn’t just recreate iconic moments either, it honours these influencers behind them, layered with precision, isolation and musicality that demand absolute control from the performers. And it’s not just the actors playing Michael carrying that. The ensemble is right there, matching that detail every step of the way. This is a true ensemble show, with everyone operating at that same triple threat level throughout.

The song choices are doing more than just entertaining us. Songs are not just randomly dropped in for the big moments, they help tell his early journey. The writing by Lynn Nottage draws clear connections between his lyrics and his life, including the reality that Black artists weren’t given the same space on radio, no matter how good the music was (until Thriller).

As Michael says, “the singer is a servant to the melody”, and that idea runs right through the show. The show even opens with a Motown-inspired megamix, grounding his sound in the artists who came before him and setting up that sense of musical lineage straight away. I think everyone has a soft spot for the Jackson 5. There's so much energy and polish, and those child actors work hard to produce tight harmonies, synchronised choreography, and costume changes (with five flawless afro wigs). It’s joyful music, but you can already see the seeds of the perfectionism being planted that would later define Michael. That dynamic is grounded beautifully by Katherine Jackson (Oyoyo Joi) in I’ll Be There, while Joseph Jackson (J. Daughtry) adds a constant undercurrent of control and tension between artistry, family, and business.

What’s particularly engaging is how the two adult versions of Michael move around each other. The older MJ, already a global icon at just 34 years old, feels quieter, more guarded, almost removed. But in the rehearsal room, you still see flashes of that creative spark: His poetic language, the overgrown ideas, the magnetic presence. He’s shown as an innovator and a boundary-pusher, constantly chasing something just "beyond what’s possible." We observe MJ pushing both himself and his team to their limits during this tour rehearsal (with all the proceeds donated, by the way). There is a clear indication he is pursuing perfection not just out of desire, but because he feels compelled to. It becomes evident how much of this drive stems from fear of not being good enough, of being replaced, of losing people's interest. The Thriller (circus meets zombies) sequence particularly emphasises this in a striking manner, framing his father as a ringmaster figure and puppeteer.

Through the 1970s-80s version of Michael, we observe the origins of these pressures: the responsibility to use his talent to provide for his large family, the controlling and often abusive influence of his father Joe, and his extremely young entry into an industry not designed to support artists like him. We see his frustration clearly, and how Thriller became a way of breaking through into mainstream recognition, going on to become the best-selling album of all time.

And then there’s the other side we witness. A gentleness. A softness. A big kid underneath it all. As Rachel says to him, “The way you imagine the world is so beautiful.” But underneath that is someone deeply burdened, isolated, and carrying the weight of enormous expectations. That contrast is where the show really finds its heart. Human Nature highlights that contrast so clearly. On stage, he feels seen. He wants to be seen. Off stage, he wishes to remain hidden. And in quieter exchanges, you hear lines like, “You are looking at me like I’m crazy, but sometimes I need to escape the demands of my life." The Earth Song and They Don’t Care About Us mash-up (a standout for me) feels like a direct response to the relentless pressure of the media in the 1990s with the boom of tabloid print. Cameras are described as “mosquitoes”, constantly buzzing, never leaving him alone, always hovering in the background.

If I had one recommendation, it’s not actually about the production itself but the venue. Sitting in the front row of the second balcony at the QPAC Lyric Theatre means you miss quite a bit of the downstage action, which is a shame in such a choreography-heavy show. Honestly, my biggest “complaint” is that I didn’t want it to end! It works as a concert experience, a character study, and a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into building something on this scale.

On a personal level, this one hit a bit deeper than I expected. I wasn’t around to see Michael Jackson live, but I grew up on the Thriller and Bad vinyls. There’s always been that sense that I missed out on something iconic. This felt, in a small way, like getting a glimpse of it. As a performer and musician myself, watching that level of drive, detail, and commitment was both inspiring and a little overwhelming.

MJ the Musical is intense, exhilarating, and exacting. It celebrates the legacy of one of the greatest entertainers of all time, while also asking what it cost to become him. And for many of us, this might just be the closest we ever get to seeing that magic live.