How Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon Brought MJ to Broadway
variety.comJazz Tangcay Artisans EditorChristopher Wheeldon knows how iconic Michael Jackson’s moves are to the world and to the entertainment industry, so when he stepped in as both director and choreographer for the Broadway show, now playing at the Neil Simon Theatre, he knew how important it was to get it right.Not only did he have to honor fans, but he also had to put his stamp on the show.Rich and Tone Talauega were brought on as part of the creative team.
The two were dancers on Jackson’s HIStory World Tour and continued to dance and choreograph for Jackson once the tour ended. “They were the living, breathing encyclopedias of Michael’s movement language and his vocabulary,” Wheeldon says.
But Wheeldon explains that he didn’t want a show that was a series of re-creations of Jackson’s numbers. “It needed to be seen through my lens, and [those iconic moves] were integrated with the overall choreography of the show, because the choreography is not just the steps.
It is not just the movement. It’s how that movement then integrates with the story and how it becomes a part of the musical staging.” “MJ” is largely set in a rehearsal studio, with Myles Frost starring as Michael, who works on his songs as well as the ghosts of his past as he prepares to go on the Dangerous World Tour.
Read more on variety.com
