Thriller Live

A quite thrilling tribute to the king of pop's 45-year musical career.
Laetitia Laubscher
February 10, 2015

In partnership with

Overview

Sequins, moonwalks and signature high-pitched hee-hee's will fill The Civic stage this February with the arrival of Thriller Live, a tribute theatrical production to the king of pop, Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five.

The two hour show collects all his musical hits from his 45-year career including 'The Way You Make Me Feel','ABC', 'Smooth Criminal', 'Beat It', 'Billie Jean', 'They Don't Care About Us' and 'Thriller'. The eight child of the Jackson family, Michael Jackson began his solo career in 1971, endless accolades soon following. As a solo artist, Michael Jackson made the best selling album of all time (Thriller), he is the only person in the world to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, he's won thirteen Grammy Awards and also raked up a few Guinness World Records ('You Are Not Alone' is the first song to ever debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, 'Scream' is the most expensive music video ever made at $7 million, at 38 minutes, 'Ghosts' is the longest music video ever made etc. etc.).

The show was conceived by Jackson family friend Adrian Grant, a West End screenplay writer. Grant has also wrote three books about Michael Jackson, including Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary which was approved by the singer. Jackson was never involved with the production of Thriller Live, but did reportedly wish him luck.

The Stage called the show "quite literally thrilling", and many other critics have praised its high production value. However the problem with a tribute show to one of the irreplaceable performing geniuses of the century is self-evident. Sanjoy Roy of The Guardian noted, "It's cute, kicking and retro, but also highlights a danger that looms large in this show: that even as a tot, Jackson was supremely gifted performer—both as a singer and a dancer—and this tribute, however well intended, inevitably pales by comparison".

Thriller Live is now in its record breaking 6th year in London’s West End, and has been performed in Scandinavia, Germany, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Information

Tap and select Add to Home Screen to access Concrete Playground easily next time. x