Michael Jackson Bio-Musical Sets Broadway Premiere Date
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It was announced Thursday that the Michael Jackson bio-musical, MJ the Musical, will make its way to Broadway in the summer of 2020. The production — previously titled Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, after the late King of Pop’s 1979 hit — will begin preview performances July 6 with an official opening set for Aug. 13 at the Neil Simon Theatre.
The show — directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon — will cover Jackson’s career milestones with an emphasis on his achievements throughout his 20s and 30s. MJ the Musical will feature Jackson’s catalog of hits and a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage.
Back in February, the producers of the show (the Michael Jackson Estate and Columbia Live Stage) canceled its pre-Broadway engagement in Chicago, citing scheduling difficulties following this year’s strike by Actors’ Equity. Performances in the Windy City were originally set to kick off Oct. 29. MJ the Musical is still in development at studios in New York.
News of the musical’s Broadway debut comes nearly a month after HBO’s Leaving Neverland — which spans four hours and explores sexual abuse claims made against Jackson by former child stars James Safechuck and Wade Robson — won the Emmy for best documentary or nonfiction special.
Following Leaving Neverland‘s debut in January at the Sundance Film Festival, Jackson’s estate called the project “a tabloid character assassination” and insisted it “isn’t a documentary,” while Jackson’s family called director Dan Reed and the pic’s two accusers “opportunists.”
Watch the teaser for MJ the Musical below.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
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