MJ the Musical is a jukebox musical based on the life of the American entertainer Michael Jackson, focusing on his preparations for the 1992 Dangerous World Tour. It features Jackson's music, a book by Lynn Nottage, and direction and choreography by Christopher Wheeldon.
MJ the Musical was originally scheduled to premiere on Broadway, Manhattan, on August 13, 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. In November 2019, Ephraim Sykes was cast as Jackson, but in June 2021 it was announced that he had been replaced by Myles Frost. MJ began previews at the Neil Simon Theatre on December 6, 2021, and opened on February 1, 2022. It opened in the London West End on March 27, 2024 and closed on February 28, 2026.
MJ the Musical received mixed reviews. It was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won Best Actor in a Musical for Frost, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design. The cast recording was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. By March 2026, the Broadway production had grossed over $319 million and sold more than seven million tickets worldwide.
Synopsis
Act I In June 1992, the cast members are preparing for rehearsals for Jackson's upcoming Dangerous World Tour; the first show, in Munich, is in two days. Rob, their manager, tells them to get into their places and warm up. Jackson arrives and watches the process, which leads to the opening number ("Beat It").
As Jackson shares his newest ideas with Rob, Rachel arrives with her cameraman, Alejandro, in hopes of getting an interview with Jackson. He sits with Rachel and recounts some of the terrors he suffered as a child and some of the memorable times when Berry Gordy played his family's hits on his Motown label. Jackson also discusses his collaboration with Quincy Jones and recording his albums Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad with Jones.
Rob and Nick escort Jackson to the press conference at Radio City Music Hall, where he presents his tour and hopes to raise $100 million for the Heal the World Foundation by Christmas 1993 ("Earth Song" / "They Don't Care About Us").
Act II Jackson proposes new ideas for the tour ("Billie Jean"/"Smooth Criminal"), which Rob and Dave tell him are impractical and that they cannot afford it. Jackson recounts the horrific accident in 1984 when a spark ignited his hair in the making of an advertisement for Pepsi. After listening to Rob's negative feedback, Jackson reminds him of something Quincy said to him, "Keep the faith. Don't let nobody take you down".
As the rehearsal continues, Jackson tells Rachel how the songs open up to him. During a break, a commotion breaks out. Rob tries to keep Rachel away from Jackson and doesn't want her near him, but Jackson manages to find her by disguising himself as a cleaner. He explains to her that the disguise is the only way he can be seen in public, which leads to him singing "Human Nature". After the rehearsal, Jackson explains to Rachel how emotional he feels about being loved by fans and about being teased in the newspapers.
As Rob comes to check up on him, Jackson recalls when he played at the Apollo Theater with the Jackson 5 and how he wasn't nervous. Rob tells Jackson that everything they created would be remembered for decades, but Jackson replies by asking: "Is it perfect?" ("Man in the Mirror"). Jackson appears on stage, prepared to start the first show of the Dangerous Tour ("Jam (Reprise)", "Black or White" / "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Reprise)".
Cast and characters
Character Broadway US National Tour West End Hamburg Australia20212023202420242025 Michael Jackson Myles Frost Roman Banks Myles Frost Benét Monteiro Roman Banks / Ilario Grant Teenage Michael / Young Adult Michael Tavon Olds-Sample Brandon Lee Harris Mitchell ZhangazhaPrince Damien Liam Damons Little Michael Christian Wilson / Walter Russell III Josiah Benson / Ethan Joseph Jaydon Eastman / Elliot Mugume / Ethan Sokontwe / Dylan Trigger Luan KizuaBlaiyze Barksdale / William Bonner / Cayden Dosoruth / Daniel Makunike / Ben Bonner / Kayleb Alese Jackie Jackson John Edwards Jay McKenzie Tavio Wright Prince Orji Kyle Kavully / Tavio Wright Tito Jackson / Quincy Jones Apollo Levine Josh A. Dawson Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton DNPRI Conlon Bonner Jermaine Jackson Lamont Walker II Bryson Jacobi Jackson Simeon Montague William Baugh Loredo Malcolm Little Marlon Devin Trey Campbell Jaylen Lyndon Hunter Cristiano Cuino / Sekhani Dumezweni / Khanya Madaka / Aidan Oti NayoKayleb Alese / Charlie Batchelor / Zavier Pillay / Kael Smith / William Bonner Marlon Jackson Zelig Williams Brion Marquis Watson Toyan Thomas-Browne Rafael Portela Xavier Gibson Randy Jackson Raymond Baynard Malcolm Miles Young Aden Dzuda Caleaf Henson G Madison IV Joe Jackson / Rob Quentin Earl Darrington Devin Bowles Ashley Zhangazha David Hughey Derrick Davis / J.Daughtry Katherine Jackson Ayana George Anastasia Talley Phebe Edwards Jessica Mears Josslynn Hlenti Afoa / Oyoyo Joi Berry Gordy / Nick Antoine L. Smith J. Daughtry Matt Mills Perci Moeketsi Wonza Johnson / Kyle Lamar Mitchell Rachel Whitney Bashor Mary Kate Moore Philippa Stefani Eve Rades Penny McNamee Alejandro Gabriel Ruíz Da'von Moody Matt Gonsalves Pedro Reichert Yashith Fernando Dave Joey Sorge Matt Loehr Jon Tsouras Mario Gremlich Tim Wright
Notable cast replacements Broadway (2021–2025) Michael Jackson: Elijah Johnson Katherine Jackson: Sasha AllenSasha Allen Broadway Credits Playbill
Musical numbers
Act I "Beat It" – MJ, Company, and Orchestra "Tabloid Junkie" / "Price of Fame" – MJ and Rachel "Shout" / "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" / "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" – Ensemble "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" – Little Michael "The Love You Save" / "I Want You Back" / "ABC" – Little Michael, Little Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie "I'll Be There" – Katherine, Little Michael, MJ "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" / "Blame It on the Boogie" / "Dancing Machine" – MJ, Teenage Michael, Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Company "Stranger in Moscow" – MJ "You Can't Win" – Berry Gordy and Teenage Michael "I Can't Help It" – Quincy Jones and Young Adult Michael "Keep the Faith" – Quincy Jones and Young Adult Michael "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" – Young Adult Michael, MJ and Ensemble "Earth Song" / "They Don't Care About Us" – MJ and Ensemble
Act II "Billie Jean" – MJ "Smooth Criminal" – MJ and Ensemble "For the Love of Money" / "Can You Feel It" – Joseph Jackson, Young Adult Michael, Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Orchestra "Money" – Joseph Jackson "Keep the Faith (Reprise)" – Rob, MJ, and Ensemble "She's Out of My Life" – MJ and Young Adult Michael "Jam" – MJ, Ensemble, and Orchestra "Human Nature" – MJ and Rachel "Bad" / "2 Bad" – MJ, Company and Orchestra "Price of Fame (Reprise)" – MJ "Thriller" – Little Michael, MJ, Joseph Jackson and Ensemble "Man in the Mirror" – Company "Jam (Reprise)" / "Black or White" / "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Reprise)" – Company "Working Day and Night" – Orchestra Performances on October 31 also include a special Halloween closing number of "Thriller"
Recordings
Recording for the original Broadway cast album took place on February 7 and 8, 2022. The original Broadway cast recording was released on July 15, 2022. The original cast recording was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
Development The musical was announced in June 2018 with the backing of Michael Jackson's estate. It was originally titled Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. Wheeldon likened it to the 2012 biographical film Lincoln: "The show is very much anchored in one particular moment in time ... You take one key moment, I suppose, in the history of someone's life and then sort of use that as an anchor point for past storytelling and, perhaps, some kind of prophecy of what's to come. We'll be doing that with this story."
Productions
Broadway (2021) MJ the Musical was scheduled to premiere in Chicago in 2019, at the Nederlander Theatre. The Michael Jackson estate canceled the Chicago tryout due to "scheduling difficulties" brought about by an Actors' Equity Association strike.
MJ the Musical was scheduled to premiere on Broadway, Manhattan, on 13 August 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. The production is directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, and features a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage. Scenery for the production is designed by Derek McLane with costuming by Paul Tazewell. Natasha Katz and Peter Nigrini are collaborating on lighting and projection designs respectively. Gareth Owen designed sound production, with hair and wig design by Charles LaPointe. Elijah Johnson took over as Jackson in March 2023 until August 2025. Matte Martinez replaced him that September.
Other regions A national tour began in Chicago at the Nederlander Theatre on August 1, 2023, and is scheduled to run through August 3, 2025. Jamaal Fields-Green took over as Jackson in July 2024. Jordan Markus took over as Jackson in February 2025.
In London, MJ the Musical opened in the West End at the Prince Edward Theatre, with previews beginning March 6, 2024 and an official opening night on March 27. Frost reprised his role as Jackson. Jamaal Fields-Green reprised the role in January 2025. It closed on February 28, 2026, after running for less than two years. It is set to tour across the United Kingdom in 2027. A German production is expected to play the Stage Theater an der Elbe at Hamburg. Dialogue will be in German with the musical numbers remaining in English. Performances are scheduled to begin on December 1, 2024.
An Australian production opened at the Sydney Lyric Theatre on February 26, 2025. Banks reprised his role as Jackson. After the Sydney production was closed on August 23, the Melbourne production arrived at Her Majesty's Theatre with Ilario Grant leading the role as Jackson on September 9. The show's first international tour is set to begin in October 2026 in major cities across Asia for an initial two-year run.
Box office Ticket sales have averaged more than a million dollars per week on Broadway. Following the Tony Awards, the weekly gross jumped to $1,661,000, with sold-out shows and brisk advance sales; it received the biggest box office jump that week on Broadway and recorded a new high for the show's sales. By September 4, 2022, it broke the Neil Simon Theater's box office record five times with a total cumulative gross of $49.4 million. As of March 2026, MJ the Musical on Broadway has grossed around $319 Million with a total attendance of 2,245,873 after 1,701 performances. MJ The Musical has ranked amongst the top five highest grossing annual Broadway shows each year since its release. By April 2024, MJ the Musical had sold more than two million tickets worldwide eventually reaching sales of over 5 million by August 2025 & 7 Million by March 2026.
Critical response The Deadline reporter Greg Evans said MJ was "visually and sonically ravishing", while the Chicago Tribune called the show's scenery gorgeous and the show "beautiful to experience throughout, which one almost never can say about jukebox musicals". Peter Marks of The Washington Post also praised the show and the cast, especially the "utterly persuasive" Frost, and called MJ "a riveting, adrenaline rush of a show". Linda Armstrong of Amsterdam News called the production "spectacular", "stunning" and "off-the-charts". Joe Westerfield of Newsweek said, "In many ways MJ is a living, breathing, even breathless, music video, but with that touch of inspiration, drive and art that only Michael Jackson can provide."