The project is the most freighted of the multiple jukebox musicals headed to Broadway because of allegations that Jackson molested children. But the announcement Thursday reflects a confidence by the show’s producers and creative team that ticketbuyers will still be eager to see a show fueled by some of the most popular music in American history.
The show, now called “MJ The Musical,” will begin previews July 6 and open Aug. 13 at the Neil Simon Theater, the producers said. The show was previously called “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough.”
The show is being produced by the Michael Jackson Estate and Columbia Live Stage, and features a book by Lynn Nottage, a playwright who has won two Pulitzer Prizes, for “Ruined” and “Sweat.” The show is being directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, a Tony winner for “An American in Paris.”
Nottage and Wheeldon have previously said that the musical would focus on a period of time in the early 1990s when Jackson was preparing for a tour to promote his “Dangerous” album. Asked if the show would address the abuse allegations — which Jackson always denied — Wheeldon said in April that they would endeavor to “lean into the complexities, lean into the darkness, but also recognize the great amount of music and film and choreography that Michael left behind.”
A spokesman for the show said Thursday that no new details about its content were available. A documentary earlier this year, “Leaving Neverland,” called new attention to the allegations, and the musical’s producers then canceled a planned pre-Broadway production in Chicago.
The creative team and a group of performers are now midway through a developmental workshop for the musical in New York. This is the third such workshop the production has held.
This article originally appeared in
.