The first week I was there, I received a call from Matt late Thursday evening letting me know Michael Jackson had passed on. Since then, it was “all Jacko all the time” in London. I’ll talk more about the rest of my trip later once we dispense with timely matters.
Before my commentary on London culture I just need to make it known that I am a huge fan of Jackson’s music and his life. In particular, I am in love with the choreography he brought to life in his concerts and videos. An arts commentator on the BBC this evening explained that the dancing in Michael Jackson’s concerts was timing and precision, and that if he did not hit everything right on “Billie Jean” it was all over. I can watch the “Thriller” video over and over again and never get enough of the dancing. Michael Jackson’s music is the music I grew up with. My mom, Carolyn, still tries to moonwalk like she used to do to embarrass me and my sister Laurel (it still works).
So, I was sort of obsessed with seeing the London show “Thriller Live” (http://www.thrillerlive.com/about/) even before the untimely death of the King of Pop. On Friday night of my stay, I got down to Liecester Square to buy tickets about 6:45. The guy at the ticket booth pretty much laughed at me and told me to forget about “Thriller” or pretty much anything else at that point, since most shows start at 7:30. (OK, I would have been there earlier but they brought out the beer cart at work so I decided to be a social with some of the local team, I wasn’t just working the whole time). You have to understand that on the tkts website, on Thursday evening prior to the untimely death of Mr. Jackson, tickets to “Thriller Live” could be found for any day and time for 50% off. So I was sort of mad about not buying a ticket the day before, but who could have known.
Having no specific other plans, I decided to walk to the Lyric Theater and see if I could get in or even buy tickets for another day. As expected, there was a madding crowd outside the theater which included this guy…he was on the local news that morning. Apparently he had tickets to 5 of Michael Jackson’s shows scheduled for London this summer.
The great news is – I got a seat in the 13th row! It was an amazing show and you should for sure go see it if you are in London. The entire cast including the director and producer came onstage and spoke about the life of Michael Jackson, then we observed a moment of silence. Here is what they said, now posted on the site:
“The producers, cast and creative team on Thriller Live are deeply saddened and shocked at the sudden death of Michael Jackson.
Thriller Live was created to celebrate the career of the world's greatest entertainer and undisputed King of Pop and the Jackson 5, and his phenomenal, unparallelled career was the show's inspiration.
After much deliberation and taking into consideration the views of Michael's legion of fans, we can think of no greater tribute to the memory of the man and his incredible music than for this weekend's performances at the Lyric theatre in the West End and Manchester Opera House go ahead as planned.All of the Thriller Live cast, crew and production team send out their love to Michael's family and children.
Thriller Live was conceived and created by Executive Director Adrian Grant, a long time associate of Michael Jackson, and author of Michael Jackson - The Visual Documentary.
He said: 'Words cannot express my deep sense of loss and sadness; I am shocked beyond belief that Michael has died. My full condolences go out to his family - his children, parents, brothers and sisters. The Jackson family have lost a son and a father, and the world has lost one of the greatest entertainers of all time, a true legend.
Michael Jackson has been a massive influence in my life - inspiring me to get into the entertainment industry and to produce the best work that I can. I have supported Michael for the past 21 years through my magazines, books and now Thriller Live, and I will continue to support and promote his legacy via this musical celebration. But my main focus right now is very much on Michael Jackson the person. He was warm, genuine, funny and smart, as well as the musical genius we all admired.
I have lost a friend, and I will be there for his family, friends and fans. Rest in peace Michael, I love you.'
The media had rented out all the opera boxes. Last I checked, the show was already extended from September to January - in case you're headed to London.
I’m not sure what it would have been like to be at the show on any other night, but there was something really special about the energy in the theater that night. I was completely mesmerized by the choreography and the voices, and it was literally three hours of high energy, including singing and dancing in the audience. The cast is amazing, especially Marias Lawson and Roger Wright. My favorite numbers were “Smooth Criminal” and “Don’t Stop til You Get Enough”. I think the temperature in the theater by the end of the show was like 85 degrees. A friend explained later that London is not big on air conditioning, but I don’t think it would have mattered.
That Sunday, I saw the “Lion King” (ticket purchased at tkts for full price after admonishment from the ticket dude for my late arrival). The costumes were amazing and the story was very moving. But it was nothing like Friday night at “Thriller Live.” Here I am at the Lion King theater.
After the show, I walked to the Lyric to see if the hordes were still paying respects (they were). Shots of the theater to follow.
RIP Michael. You have influenced many, many lives.
