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Review: A flashy ‘MJ’ dazzles and distracts with dance

A review of MJ the Musical by Charles Isherwood | February 1, 2022

And yet — you knew that was coming, didn’t you? — for all its surface flash and stylish presentation, “MJ” comes across, like most jukebox/bio-musical hybrids, as superficial fan-bait: a glossy but unrevelatory moonwalk through the ups and downs (mostly the ups) of Jackson’s career.

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‘MJ’ Trips Into the Bio-Musical Morass

Juan Michael Porter II | February 1, 2022

MJ, the new Broadway musical about Michael Jackson’s life, is currently thrilling audiences at the Neil Simon Theatre for all the wrong reasons. The show follows MJ―who functions as our narrator―as he balances getting his Dangerous world tour off the ground with interruptions from a documentary filmmaker for MTV who wants an exciting scoop, and […]

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Dominique Morriseau Excavates the Glory of Blackness in ‘Skeleton Crew’

Juan Michael Porter II | January 26, 2022

As Black folks like to say, when Dominique Morisseau wrote Skeleton Crew, she put her whole foot in it. For those who aren’t in the know, that means the play is a spectacular blend of lyrical language, political analysis, and delightful humor that prioritizes Black lives and sensibilities over respectability politics. The play follows three […]

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