Wanna Be Startin' Something
The King of Pop lives on in Cirque du Soleil's Immortal tour
"This show is unique for Cirque du Soleil," tour publicist Maxime Charbonneau told CultureMap in a recent phone interview about the company's newest performance, Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, which comes to the Toyota Center Feb. 10–12.
"It's much more like a rock 'n' roll arena tour — a hybrid concert and traditional Cirque show that allows people to experience Michael in a totally different way."
Cirque du Soleil worked directly with the Michael Jackson estate to create a performance that honored the King of Pop's legacy as a performer and a musician.
"This is a full tribute to Michael's music," Charbonneau explained. "The only thing missing is the man himself."
"The Jacksons came to the opening show in Montreal," he said. "Jermaine, Marlon, Tito, and their mother Catherine were there with Michael's children. They were all truly moved by the production, which meant a lot to us."
As part of a $250 million arrangement between Sony and the Jackson family, Cirque du Soleil was able to secure the rights to remix the Michael Jackson catalog of hits into a continuous stream of music, similar to the Beatles' Love project from 2006.
"This is a full tribute to Michael's music," Charbonneau explained. "The only thing missing is the man himself."
Nearly every iconic MJ single surfaces at some point throughout the show, as hits like "Dancing Machine" merge into major moments like "Thriller" and later songs like "Scream." Cirque du Soleil has hired a number of musicians who worked with Jackson throughout his career, one of the many ways the company has tried to stay as true to the performer's music as possible.
The songs have been arranged to highlight aspects of Jackson's personality and career. Jackson 5 material covers his early years performing with his brothers while songs like "Shake Your Body" and "Beat It" serve as a backdrop to the star's rise to fame. Even "Ben," a song about a boy and his pet rat, works its way into the two-hour performance as a celebration of Michael's love of animals.
And for anyone wondering... Yes, Bubbles the chimp is a character in the show. And, no, the scandals of Jackson's final years do not have a dance sequence.
