When the music’s playing, Michael Jackson musical is a thriller at the Fisher Theatre – The News Herald

Near the end of “MJ The Musical,” Jamaal Fields-Green, as Michael Jackson, tells faux MTV interviewer (Cecelia Petrush) to “listen to my music. It answers any questions you might have.”

Not quite. Nor does “MJ” — in all its glittering, exuberant spectacle — tell us the full or even authentic Jackson story.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not a very good time.

“MJ” — which won four Tony Awards on Broadway, including Best Choreography, and is at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre through Nov. 3 — is one of THOSE jukebox musicals. There’s a reason jukeboxes play music only, and the production offers a case study of why that should be. Its script is single-ply thin and coasts on the usual tropes about the self-branded King of Pop’s life and career (PTSD from childhood abuses, the isolating loneliness of mega-superstardom). Nigglers can dine out on the historically inaccurate details, and there’s simply a lack of anything to really invest in and care about.

Except when the music’s playing and the actors are dancing.

“MJ” is set during rehearsals for Jackson’s Dangerous World Tour, his second outing as s solo artist, which trekked around the globe during 1992-93 — everywhere but North America. He also made his Super Bowl XXVII halftime appearance in the midst of it. It was a success, grossing more than $100 million and producing an HBO concert special, but in his legacy it hardly holds up next to “Off the Wall” or “Thriller” or his “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” appearance.

So when tour producer Rob (Devin Bowles) tells Jackson that “you have created something folks are gonna be talking about for a long time”…well, not really.

Within the rehearsal scenario and Jackson’s hand-wringing search for perfection is a give-and-take with the interviewer, which allows for non-linear flashbacks and for Fields-Green to deliver sometimes playful, sometimes earnest but never particularly revealing discourses about Jackson’s character. As is the jukebox musical wont, we get bullet points that don’t penetrate the target and leave us wondering if we really need the words at all.

And in “MJ’s” case, maybe we don’t. What more than redeems the musical is its body of Jackson 5, Jacksons and Jackson solo hits, as well as needle-drops on Jackie Wilson, James Brown, the Isley Brothers, the O-Jays and even “The Sound of Music.” Even the darker songs shimmer with a joyous ensemble energy that’s easy to let take you away.

And for Detroit audiences, of course, the snippets about the Jackson 5’s signing to Motown (founder Berry Gordy and executive Suzanne de Passe are portrayed, briefly) and early hits such as “The Love You Save,” “I Want You Back” and “ABC” are a little more resonant than they might be in other cities.

Perhaps the best moments of “MJ” come at the start of its second half, when Fields-Green re-enacts the legendary “Motown 25” performance of “Billie Jean” — moonwalk and all, and how many artists have articles of clothing that merit their own ovation like the glove, hat and jacket? — before leading into an avant, Fosse-like dance revue that then morphs into a dynamic “Smooth Criminal.” It’s at that point we recognize “MJ” is more “Smokey Joe’s Cafe”

than, say, “Beautiful: The Carole King Story” — a revue dressed up as a biography that could more effectively tell its story without, well, the story.

Fields-Green, a veteran of the Broadway and London’s West End productions, is an effective lead, capturing Jackson’s mix of reticence and ambition through intense stares and careful body language. It helps that he has pipes (his “She’s Out of My Life” is a show-stopper) and has moves like Jackson — including a sideways slide that he deploys several times during the show. And if the script doesn’t allow him to appear particularly empathetic there are effective moments where Fields-Green conveys the hindsight wisdom of experience when on stage in tandem with the younger Jacksons — a particularly strong Erik Hamilton and Josiah Benson as Little Michael (who alternates with Bane Griffith).

Amidst a solid ensemble “MJ’s” other highlight is Bowles, a commanding physical presence — with a surprisingly potent high-kick at one point — who portrays both producer Rob and Jackson’s father Joe, switching between the two at times on proverbial dime. He’s one of several “MJ” actors who portray multiple characters, but the great difference between Bowles’ two makes his performance that much more impressive.

The real takeaways are the ensemble production numbers, however — especially those in the second act, including “Thriller” (different than the video, but still successful) and “Man in the Mirror.” And when “MJ” abandons narrative all together to close the night with the cast romping through “Jam,” “Black or White” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” it’s a the much-needed moment that reminds us why we truly do care about Jackson.

“MJ The Musical” runs through Nov. 3 at the Fisher Theatre, 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit. 313-872-100 or broadwayindetroit.com.

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