by Chris Kirwan
The music of the late, great Michael Jackson was brought back to life last night for an audience of devotees and regular theatre goers who for a while, might have thought they had strayed into a Michael Jackson tribute act competition rather than through the august doors of the Liverpool Empire theatre.
Although billed as a musical, this touring stage performance was more a concert than a play. This is not to say that Thriller Live suffered from an identity crisis; far from it. This disco glitter-ball of an offering unashamedly made no attempt at being a biopic. It entertained us with number after number of the King of Pop’s greatest hits – but was that enough? My impression of the show was that it was lightweight and merely scratched at the surface. The one time real drama was felt was in the drumming number, They Don’t Care About Us
The production’s weakness was that it gave only a light nod in the direction of any narrative and when it did, the words were too pious and banal. The show was crying out for real acting and a substantive plot which would have probed to uncover the essential Michael Jackson. Notwithstanding this major criticism, the enthusiastic singers and dancers did their best to win over the audience.
The back catalogue of fantastic hits had the crowd on their feet, arms waving above their heads in homage to the legacy of this most complex and controversial star in pop history. Jackson mania was back but it was a pity that the great musicians who played the numbers were demoted to a back stage position, out of sight of the audience, for much of the time.
The cast of five main vocalists took turns in the role of Jackson. This might have looked fine on paper but having so many Michaels tended to be confusing. An avalanche of sound and lighting effects added to the mayhem, bombarding the senses and sweeping the audience along from the innocence of I Want You Back through the sophistication of Man in the Mirror to the prophetic Heal the World.
Amidst the controlled chaos, the two performers who caught my attention were Cleopatra Higgins and Jesse Smith. Higgins (former member of child pop band Cleopatra) had excellent stage presence and a soft, mellifluous voice. She silkily eased her way through her numbers, sounding uncannily like the younger Jackson. Jesse Smith (a rock singer and power balladeer) sang with raucous power and passion yet still showed the ability, in softer passages, to evoke real emotion.
With amazing stage-effects, state-of-the-art lighting, strong musical accompaniment and energetic dancing, the show has merit in its own right. Stand out numbers for me were Billie Jean and Dirty Diana while the solo moonwalk sequence, the only time they caught the real essence of Jackson, brought the house down. With a fitting Thriller reprise finale, the performance ended on a climactic high.
Read More: http://www.cheshire-today.co.uk/25181/review-thriller-live-liverpool-empire/
Source: cheshire-today /Chris Kirwan / MJ-Upbeat.com
Below MJ-Upbeat has added a quick video to give you an idea of what Thriller Live is like.
VIDEO
MJ is without a doubt the king. Anytime i listen to his songs i feel like he is still alive. Surely one of the best music celebrities ever!