Monday, October 12, 2015
'Thriller Live' at the Lyric Theatre, 8th October 2015
Ah the
jukebox musical, we meet again. This genre is the most nakedly
commercial inhabitant of a bulging West End, landing somewhere
between the X-Factor and karaoke in artistic validity. But I
shouldn't judge, after all Thriller Live has
been moonwalking around Shaftesbury Avenue since 2009. In a cutthroat theatreland, this survival is no small achievement, so why so popular?
Well, probably
because everyone loves Michael Jackson. Even the hardest of hearts
can't keep their toes from tapping when Billie Jean
starts playing, letting out a quiet "AOW!" when overhearing
Smooth Criminal or
doing that awesome zombie claw side-to-side dance when the DJ drops
Thriller. And, after
his unfortunate death, Thriller Live is the closest you're going to get to seeing Jackson perform.
Told
vaguely chronologically, the show takes us through Jackson's life,
from pint-sized prodigy, through his 80s supremacy before concluding
rather abruptly in the mid 90s. Given Jackson's many performance
talents, no one performer can simulate his stage presence. So,
'playing' Jackson are; a young boy, Eshan Gopal; four lead
singers, Alex Buchanan, Treynce Cobbins, Haydon Eshun and John Moabi;
and one look-a-like dancer, 'Dajiow'. That it takes
six talented performers to summon up a vaguely plausible facsimile of
one man proves to be the best (and most subtle) tribute the show
makes.
Structurally
there's no great surprises. Jackson's hits are faithfully recreated
by the vocalists and an ultra-tight live band (until they were
revealed I'd assumed this all pre-recorded), accompanied by tightly
choreographed dance numbers. These are held together by the direct connective tissue of having a guy come out with a
microphone and explain what Michael Jackson did next.
When
the show is going full-tilt it's difficult to find fault - Jackson's
big hits are simply that good. An early dose of exuberance from the
young and insanely charismatic Gopal as Kid Michael gets us
pepped up with excellent renditions of I Want You Back, ABC
and Rockin' Robin.
Similarly, the later numbers can't fail to impress - with highlights
being an excellent Billie Jean and
satisfyingly zombiriffic Thriller.
These are the numbers punters have pay to see, and here the show
delivers. But these peaks of quality come complete with some dips
into dullness. Though generally well-performed, deeper cuts like
She's Out of My Life, Never Say Goodbye, Human Nature and This
Place Hotel sap the energy in the later stages of the first act. This portion of the show is accompanied by an extremely naff audience participation bit whose forced enthusiasm grates.
Similarly, a segue into Jackson's Messiah complex years nauseates.
"Hooray! Earth Song!" said no-one. Ever. We're
assailed by jaw clenchingly trite video displays, one of which has
the words 'racism', 'hunger' and 'war' floating around in unhappy
looking red font. The next goes even further, showing us pictures of
Ghandi, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, John Lennon, Mother
Teresa and, slightly incongruously, Barack Obama. Then, above them
all, the beatific face of Jackson beams down: as if the show is
making the case for his canonisation. There are small mercies though - we're not subjected to Heal the World.
Though I watched that segment through gritted teeth, it turns out to
be the closest the show comes to exploring the more eccentric aspects
of its subject's life. Where are the chimpanzees? The hyperbaric
chambers? The giant laser-spitting robot? Instead, the show opts to comprehensively sandpaper away all the
rough edges - anyone learning of Jackson for the first time through
this would assume that Jackson was a boringly professional musician whose career mysterious ended in 1996.
Thriller
Live is content to provide
what's expected of it and nothing more. If any 20th century musician
deserves a searching, lavish biopic it's Michael Jackson. This show focuses on the music and does an all round decent job of it. These are some of the most popular songs of the 20th century,
beloved by audiences around the world - this show presents them
with a minimum of fuss in a show.
I can't deny that this is a commercially
streamlined, polished experience, but you get what it says on the tin: no more, no less.
★★★
Thriller Live is at the Lyric Theatre. Probably until doomsday. Tickets now 33% off.
Tags:
lyric theatre ,
michael jackson ,
musical ,
theatre ,
thriller ,
Thriller live
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