It was announced today by the producers that the Broadway World Premiere of MJ The Musical (previously titled Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough) will open at The Neil Simon Theatre on Thursday, August 13th 2020. Previews begin on July 6th, 2020 and tickets go on sale beginning January 15th, 2020.
As previously announced, the new musical will feature a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and a score made up of some of the best-loved, top-selling songs in recording history. Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph. MJ The Musical is currently in development in New York City.
The show has finally made it's way to Broadway after a year full of complications. It was announced back in February that the show would cancel their Chicago tryout and just come straight to Broadway- a very risky move for ANY show. The decision was made due to "scheduling difficulties brought about by the recent Actors Equity strike" said the producers in a statement. The five-week strike, which was resolved February 8th in the actors’ favor, centered on giving performers who work in labs and workshops on commercial productions a share of the profits from an eventual Broadway run, and asked actors not to do developmental work until then.
For any show, no matter who it's about and who is behind it, to cancel an out of town tryout can be risky business. You don't get the time to have audiences see it first, experiment with what's good and what needs to be cut, develop it fully and see what people are resonating with and what they aren't. Of course an out of town tryout does not guarantee success either- but can a show as big as this and in light of the recent Leaving Neverland documentary hurt this show? I certainly hope not. I'm looking forward to seeing this show and what is has in store to honor the King of Pop.
Tickets for MJ The Musical will go on sale on January 15, 2020, at 10 a.m.
To sign-up for priority ticket access, go to MJTheMusical.com.