From Victory to ‘Dangerous’ to Cirque, King is a Jackson devotee

By John Katsilometes

Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010 | 12:11 a.m.

The title itself is something otherworldly: Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour. It’s jarring, in a way, as Jackson was inevitably and tragically mortal.

But the title of this Cirque du Soleil production show is not a reference to Jackson’s human mortality. It is a title evoking his music, his peerless art of dance and his legacy of childlike spirit and passion. This production is, literally, Neverland brought to the stage, a place where performers gleefully dance and play music as homage to the late King of Pop.

“This is about the energy of Michael and his spirit of his life’s light,” says “Immortal” writer and director Jamie King, who himself is aglow with a creative resume that includes a dozen years as Madonna’s creative director, steering both the Sticky & Sweet and Confessions tours.

As the comprehensive news release announcing the show notes, King has choreographed, directed or otherwise creatively partnered with Rihanna, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Shakira, George Michael, Sir Elton John, Diana Ross, Jennifer Lopez and Ellen DeGeneres.

King was even a dancer on Jackson’s 1992-’93 Dangerous Tour.

Thus, in the care of King, Cirque and The Estate of Michael Jackson, the popular music legend is truly “immortal,” and his fanciful musical biography is bound for Las Vegas next year. First reported two weeks ago by my colleague Robin Leach on the Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas Weekly and Vegas DeLuxe Web sites, the show’s Las Vegas schedule was released officially on Wednesday. The tour stops at Mandalay Bay Events Center from Dec. 3-11, 2011. Tickets go on sale at noon Saturday at MandalayBay.com and Ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000. Tickets are priced at $50, $80, $125, $175 and $250. (Members of the Michael Jackson Fan Club can purchase tickets now at MichaelJackson.com.)

The site is relevant in the long-term future of the Cirque-Jackson production. Mandalay Bay Theatre would be the logical venue to stage the production when it stops touring in 2012, as it has been announced that the show will be featured in an MGM Resorts hotel. “Disney’s The Lion King” leaves Mandalay Bay Theatre at the end of 2011, giving Cirque sufficient time to load the Jackson show into that space.

In discussing the arena show, the 38-year-old King exudes the excitement of a child. He was, in fact, a 12-year-old kid when he saw the Jacksons live during the Victory Tour, catching the show at Chicago’s Comiskey Park (King was raised in Wisconsin).

“I remember only that I was there, but I was a big fan. … There has not been one person who hasn’t been touched or inspired by Michael Jackson, his music or his showmanship,” King says. “For this show, you should expect the merging of the pop-rock spectacle from the ultimate showman, with pyro, live musicians and singers, fused with all that is Cirque. You’ll see a great live performance and the ‘wow’ factor of both those worlds.”

The stage will depict Neverland, a favorite Jackson “Peter Pan” reference point that, we all well remember, was the name of his estate and theme park. “The set will literally develop before your eyes, and you will see Neverland with Michael’s imagery on video.”

Don’t expect a sole Michael Jackson tribute artist to depict the show’s central figure, which would seem a needless effect considering all the technical wizardry and performance artistry the show promises. The show’s story centers on a Giving Tree, described as “the wellspring of (Jackson’s) creativity.”

Through this tree, you take what sounds for all the world like an “Alice in Wonderland,” through-the-looking-glass traipse through Jackson’s life story, filled with his hits dating to his days with the Jackson 5. There will be splashy, archival video, too, similar to the types of video panels used in the never-realized “This is It” stage show being rehearsed for 02 Arena in London at the time of Jackson’s death.

Musically, as in “Love” and “Viva Elvis,” the production team has full access to all of Jackson’s recorded material, even outtakes and unreleased songs. There will be mash-ups, manipulated tempos, live instrumentation among the 60-member cast, with Jackson’s disembodied, recorded voice singing and telling the entire story.

“This is not a cover show, or a lookalike show, but it’s definitely representing the spirit of Michael,” King says. “It’s a loose storyline, with the central characters transported into a portal that is Neverland, where they learn about his love of magic, music, unity, of one love and bringing people together.”

King halted when asked for his favorite Jackson album, citing “Dangerous” for its sentimental value (stemming from his performances on the world tour), and, not surprisingly, “Thriller.”

In a foreboding twist of fate, King was working on a show at 02 Arena when he heard Jackson had died. He’d just finished a rehearsal for Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet appearances there when word reached him in London.

“I was in my hotel room after being in rehearsal that day, and I spent most of the night up, trying to figure out how to react to Michael’s passing,” King says.

In the spring of this year, the young director was asked to be, well, the new King of pop.

“In the end, we will all feel inspired by his light and force,” King says, once more summoning the ethereal. “We will all take home a piece of Michael.”

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.