MJ
Bushnell Center for Performing Arts
Hartford
Dec. 11, 2024
If you ever want to judge the quality of a live performance, listen to the way the audience raves about it afterwards.
“Wow! That guy looked and sounded just like Michael Jackson!” a man exclaimed just behind us as we walked in the drizzle back to the parking lot. “He even danced like him!”
“That guy” is Jamal Fields-Green, the man who took on the mantle of the King of Pop in MJ at the Bushnell. MJ was originally a Broadway production, so there were plenty of bells and whistles to dazzle the audience. But the people were there to see Michael Jackson, so the entire production rested on Fields-Green and his ability to become The Gloved One.
And boy, did he ever. In fact, all of the Michael Jackson performers were spectacular.
MJ is set in the final rehearsal days before the beginning of his Dangerous World Tour in 1992. Jackson is played by three different actors in the various flashbacks that the plot employs. Bane Griffith plays Jackson at his youngest, just as he’s beginning his training for a lifetime in the spotlight. Griffith is young, but he had undeniable charisma on the stage. There’s a bright future ahead of him.
Jackson 5‑era Michael was played by Erik Hamilton, who took on the double duty of exhibiting young Jackson’s exuberance and energy while also suffering the wrath of his father, Joe Jackson (Devin Bowles). Hamilton has the wide grin and voice to capture what made Jackson 5 Michael so enthralling.
Fields-Green was hands down the star of the show. MJ is described as a musical, but it’s really the closest that any of us can get to a Michael Jackson concert since he passed away in 2009. Fields-Green had to become the Jackson that everyone showed up to see: singing the songs, hitting the dance moves, embodying the playful yet guarded persona of Jackson. He succeeded wonderfully; several times I had to resist the urge to jump out of my seat and start dancing in the aisle.
While it was Fields-Green’s show to carry, he had help from a strong supporting cast. The standout there was Devin Bowles as both Joe Jackson and Rob, MJ’s manager during the rehearsals. Bowles did an excellent job of capturing the inner fury of Joe Jackson, a man whose own musical talents were denied. But it’s not all just rage, as Bowles is just as sure to convey the love that Joe Jackson obviously felt for his family, even if it comes off as gruff protectionism at best. Having Bowles also play his manager was a stroke of genius, as it allowed for an easy juxtaposition between two characters looking out for Jackson’s best interests in radically different ways. In one particularly well done moment, Bowles is Joe Jackson, holding the painkillers out to MJ, and then he switches to Rob, trying to take them away. It underscores the tragic nature of MJ’s life, and the addiction he struggled with to perform.
Despite the sadness, MJ concludes in triumph, with Fields-Green and the production crew recreating Jackson’s iconic stage jump at the opening of the Bucharest stop of the Dangerous tour. It’s a shame that Jackson is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on through his music, and through the hard work of people who emulate his dedication to perfection and commitment to giving viewers a great experience. Fields-Green, and the rest of the MJ cast, are those kinds of people. This show is not to be missed.
NEXT
MJ continues at the Bushnell through Dec. 15.
Jamil heads to the Wadsworth for another year of creative Christmas trees.
