CAN YOU FEEL IT? THE THRILL OF THRILLER LIVE!
Of course I attended Thriller Live, reportedly the closest thing to Michael Jackson subsequent to the star’s untimely death last year.
I thought this show was created posthumously to cash in on the hype surrounding Michael’s death, but I found out that it was already running when he was alive.
West End success and the Jackson seal of approval
Apparently Jackson gave this musical tribute to him and his brothers the gloved thumbs up.
I knew the spectacular was a West End success, so when I learned that the Feldmans (Hazel and Tony) were bringing the show to the Teatro at Monte Casino, there was no way I was missing it.
When it comes to Michael Jackson - bad publicity, ludicrous behaviour and eccentricities aside - the man’s music is legendary and is the stuff pop masterpieces are made of.
Singing soundtrack of our lives
I grew up in the Eighties and was therefore fortunate to be around when Thriller the album was released and I watched (albeit on Bophuthatswana Television) the first time Jackson intrepidly moon-walked at the Motown 25th anniversary in 1983.
Ah, the great music from Bad and Dangerous . . . his rising star was definitely a mesmerising part of my childhood and the soundtrack of my youth and oh boy, I wanted to sing to it once again!
And I did, and what a surreal 90 minutes of music and memory for me. The show does not disappoint unless you are confused by Michael Jackson imitators where you cannot tell the difference between star and impersonator.
Sheer energy and talent
Thankfully Thriller Live is not a competition for impersonators but rather a platform where four or five lead vocalists bring their own sound to some of our most cherished tunes. Then there’s “little Michael” played exuberantly by Jordan Bratton.
As one would expect, the show is energetic and enhanced by great lighting and pyrotechnics - perhaps too much so at times. There is a battery of chorus girls and boys who break-dance, hip-hop, boogie and gyrate their way through the numbers, depending on which era the songs come from. It’s like watching those old Sixties pop shows like Ed Sullivan or Dick Clark and the dancing is on point and superb.
Prolific chart-breaking hits
There seems to be general consensus that the second half is preferred, which is understandable because it showcases the big blockbuster hits from the Eighties and Nineties.
It must be said, however that the first half - which showcases young Michael and his bros, fresh from Gary, Indiana, garbed in them bell-bottoms and platforms, belting out their first No. 1s (I’ll Be There, I Want You Back, etc) - is very necessary and lays down an enchanting and enlightening foundation of their history.
We get a chance to sample the adolescent Jackson fare which admittedly I did not recognise, except for the major “Can You Feel It” which ends the first half on a thunderous high.
Michael’s Off The Wall Album is perfectly featured before the end of the first half, too, and one remembers the delicious late-night romp of “Rock with You”, the funky, urbane “Off The Wall” and the disco-inspired “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”. One arrives at intermission primed and prepared for the prolific opuses to come, and these don’t disappoint.
Show-stopping numbers
The piece de résistance is definitely the Smooth Criminal segment aping the spectacular original video from the Bad album. Thriller is again brought to life as is Bad and I smile nostalgically, remembering mocking the choreography of those videos as a teenager.
The success of these segments, together with the rousing Billy Jean and Dangerous, must be credited to the genius dancing talent of Ricko Baird from LA (who worked with the legend himself). His moves send shivers down one’s spine for there are moments in which it feels as if the king of pop has graced the stage - that’s how good the man is!
Across-the-board appeal
The dearth of true legends becomes apparent when one revisits the legend that is Michael Jackson. Most striking about the legacy of his music is its evergreen appeal. Watching my 10-year-old nephew and his friends aping the moves, the nuances, the sounds singular to MJ, makes me realise that Michael Jackson will live on forever, as will his music which appeals to all ages.
