MJ The Musical Review

Disclosure: We were invited to see this show for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.

We were invited to kick off the summer holidays with a trip to see MJ The Musical at the Prince Edward Theatre in London, thanks to Official London Theatre and their Kids Week promotion. Dave and I have always loved Michael Jackson’s music so we were really looking forward to the show – and the children were excited too!

What is Kids Week?

During Kids Week, a child goes free with every adult ticket to many London theatre productions – and two extra children can attend for half price too! Kids Week performances are running until Sunday 31st August making it a great summer holiday activity!

MJ The Musical

MJ The Musical is set in the run up to Michael Jackson’s Dangerous tour, a huge event in his professional and personal life. Throughout the show we see flashbacks to his childhood and throughout his career as a singer and performer.

MJ, played by Kwamé Kandekore for our show, is the perfect Michael Jackson. From the very first words he speaks, he is MJ. His performance is faultless and it was like being right there in a Michael Jackson concert – something we never got to do despite having tickets to his This Is It tour the year he died.

Throughout the show the choreography is astounding. All of the performers give it their all and the energy levels are incredible. From performing with MJ on his top hits, to helping set the scene in his younger years or being in the background when we’re given the full Motown experience, the ensemble are amazing.

I loved seeing Michael Jackson as a child, getting to know his relationship with his controlling father, his mother and his many siblings. It was eye opening and the Michael of each era did a great job – from Little Michael played by Cristiano Cuino to the older teenage Michael played by Andre Phipps. They were faultless!

The show incorporates so many classic Michael Jackson tunes – with the likes of Bad, Thriller and Dangerous, alongside new music created just for the show. It’s a really well put together production that blends MJ’s music with a really strong story and great effects, costume and lighting throughout.

It was amazing that the MJ lead could perform so many songs, could show us so many different times in Michael Jackson’s life and yet only change his jacket or add a glove or a hat to switch up the performance. It showed, really, that Kwamé Kandekore didn’t need huge costume changes to portray Michael Jackson – his stunning performance was enough.

We loved MJ The Musical. It was a rollercoaster of emotions all brought together with incredible music and top class performances. It was one of the best shows we have seen in a long time and we weren’t suprised to find the whole audience on their feet at the end. It was a a real triumph.

You can find out more about MJ The Musical here and book MJ The Musical or other Kids Week offers over on the Kids Week website.