MJ, the Michael Jackson stage musical headed for Broadway, will begin previews next March, an eight-month postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic shutdown.
The new dates were announced today by producers Lia Vollack Productions and The Michael Jackson Estate.
The world premiere of MJ, featuring Jackson’s music, will begin previews on Monday, March 8, 2021, at Broadway’s Neil Simon Theatre. Opening night is set for Thursday, April 15. Prior to Broadway’s shutdown on March 12, MJ was set to begin performances this July.
Starring Ephraim Sykes (Ain’t Too Proud) as Michael Jackson, MJ will feature a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and a score comprised of Jackson’s hit songs. Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph.
Anyone who purchased tickets to the previous dates will receive an automatic refund back to the credit card used for the original purchase. Anyone who doesn’t receive a refund by May 30 should contact the point of purchase to request a refund.
The rescheduling marks the second postponement of a major Broadway production in as many days: Yesterday, the revival of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite, starring Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker and directed by John Benjamin Hickey, announced a postponement of more than a year, from the planned March 13 2020 preview date to March 19, 2021. That production’s venue – Broadway’s Hudson Theatre – is booked for this Fall by the limited engagement return of David Byrne’s American Utopia, though many Broadway insiders don’t expect Broadway to reopen before January 2021.
MJ, formerly known as Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, originally had been set to begin Broadway previews on Tuesday, July 6, 2020, with an opening night of Thursday, August 13. An earlier, planned pre-Broadway engagement in Chicago was axed last year due to what producers said were delays caused by an Actors’ Equity strike, a claim disputed by Equity.
The musical, which is not expected to focus on Jackson’s personal life or controversies, depicts the Thriller star and his collaborators as they rehearse for the 1992 Dangerous Tour.