THRILLER Live director Adrian Grant wishes the world would see pal Michael Jackson’s genius — and not the lurid headlines.
West End director and producer Adrian, who was a close pal of Jackson for 20 years, met the star in 1988 when he created the first ever Jackson fan magazine, Off The Wall.
The pair hit it off and remained friends until Michael’s death in 2009.
Doctor Conrad Murray was found guilty of causing Jackson’s death by administering an overdose of sedatives and the surgical anaesthetic propofol in what he told police was an attempt to cure the singer’s insomnia.
But Adrian, 44 — who brings his hit show to Scotland next week — regrets those closest to the star didn’t identify Jackson’s problems before it was too late.
He said: “I spoke to him about a year before he passed unfortunately. He was going to make his comeback.
“The concerts would have been spectacular and he was going to come and see Thriller Live in London, but it would have been good if people closer to him had seen the warning signs so he could have been better taken care of.”
Adrian penned tribute concert Thriller Live in 2005 shortly after Michael was cleared of child abuse.
He wanted the world to appreciate Jackson for his music rather than his personal life. And so the smash-hit West End show was born.
He said: “The show has a very long history. We used to have a tribute concert every month and in 2001 he came to see it and he loved it.
“Then in 2005 Michael was going through the court case and he was getting a lot of negative press and I really wanted to bring people back to his music.
“I had seen shows like We Will Rock You for Queen and Mamma Mia for Abba, and I thought ‘Why doesn’t Michael have one?’ and that’s when I created Thriller Live. The show focuses just on his music — it’s not his life story. It’s about his music and artistry. He was so different to what everyone thought. It’s such a shame that he seemed to get a lot more respect after he passed.”
The hit show will be at Glasgow’s King’s Theatre from April 18 to 21 and then at the Edinburgh Playhouse from April 29 to May 4. Five different performers play Jackson from the age of 11 up to adulthood.
Adrian said: “It’s not a tribute show in that we have someone impersonating Michael. I wanted to avoid that because I thought it would be cheesy and tacky.
“We have a boy playing MJ from the Jackson Five days and it is a massive challenge to find a kid between ten and 13 who can sing in the right key and have the look.”
Adrian is determined to keep Jackson’s memory alive.
He said: “I was extremely privileged to have known Michael. I want him to be remembered as the fantastic musician that he was, not the crazy headlines that came with his career. He was a genius in the studio but he was just a big kid at heart.”
Visit thrillerlive.com
Source: The Sun / MJ-Upbeat.com
i agree so sad,,:(( i love mj since the jackson 5 ,, he has a golden heart inside and out of his soul,,miss him :((