Michael Jackson’s Legacy Is Brought To Life On Stage In London

The stage is meant for a performer like Michael Jackson. Since his passing in 2009 at the age of 50, the world has missed seeing his talent in person.

Actor Jamaal-Fields Green is set to play MJ in London at the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End. He is the first and only actor to play the part of MJ in three global productions, including on Broadway and the US National Tour, and he was just announced today as the lead in London.

Fields-Green will put on the iconic sequined glove in January of 2025. He previously performed as a standby for MJ and Middle Michael in New York, eventually moving into the role of MJ with over 50 performances there. He then moved to the touring production and has over 200 performances under his belt. Speaking on his incredible opportunity and accomplishment, Fields-Green says one thing stands out to him about the show, “I, myself like the rest of the world grew up a huge Michael Jackson fan. What I love about this show is that we’re able to show the human being behind the icon.”

Fields-Green is following in the footsteps of actor Myles Frost who originated the role of MJ on Broadway. Frost is the youngest actor to be awarded a Tony for his role as MJ, at the age of 22.

While nothing or no one can replace him, the production of MJ The Musical is an impressive achievement in all aspects. Featuring 25 of Jackson’s songs, including songs from The Jackson 5, the musical focuses on the rehearsal days before the Dangerous World Tour in 1992. Jackson is interviewed by an MTV production team and, in the process, tells the story of his life through songs. The musical is based on a book written by Lynn Nottage and employs three actors to play The King Of Pop, one for each phase of his career, from the Jackson 5, to “Middle Michael” producing Off The Wall, to the peak of his career with Thriller.

The original Broadway show was set to open in the middle of 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic postponed that. Eventually, it opened to audiences at the Neil Simon Theatre in February of 2022. The National Tour hit the road in August of 2023. Germany fans can now see the show as performances just began last week. Finally, Australia will open it’s show in February of 2025. MJ The Musical has won 4 Tonys, including Frost’s. Box office numbers are rolling in as the Broadway shows bring in more than $1 million a week. As of October of this year, it has made more than $225 million in sales.

Jackson himself is touted as one of the greatest performers of all time. He has 15 Grammys and 13 number-one hits, including Billie Jean, Beat It, Bad, and Thriller. He is the first artist to have a number-one single in five different decades. His album Thriller is the biggest-selling album of all time, some 40 years after its release, selling 70 million copies of the iconic record.