Review: MJ: The Michael Jackson Musical at Crown Theatre
MJ: The Michael Jackson Musical at Crown Theatre
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
From the moment Beat It explodes onto the stage, MJ the Musical grabs the audience by the collar and doesn’t let go. At Crown Theatre until July 19, this spectacular production takes us inside rehearsals for Michael Jackson’s 1992 Dangerous World Tour before dancing backwards through the remarkable, complicated life of the King of Pop.
Using the framework of those tour rehearsals, the musical explores Jackson’s journey from child star with the Jackson 5 through Motown, Soul Train, and the global superstardom of the Bad era. With a staggering score of more than 40 songs at a rapid pace, there’s barely a moment where the audience isn’t tapping a foot, singing along, or simply staring in amazement.
At the centre of it all is Ilario Grant as 1992 Michael Jackson. His performance is nothing short of astonishing. The voice, the movement, the mannerisms, the tiny details of Jackson’s speech patterns—everything is so precise that there are moments where you could swear the real Michael Jackson is standing on stage.
The supporting cast is equally impressive. J. Daughtry delivers a standout performance, effortlessly switching between the demanding father Joseph Jackson and tour producer Rob with little more than a change in posture, accent and a slight limp. Liam Damons shines as teenage Michael, while Oyoyo Joi brings warmth and emotional depth to Katherine Jackson, the family matriarch whose love contrasts with the father’s faults.
One of the production’s most magical touches is the use of multiple Michaels. Seeing different versions of MJ share the stage and even perform duets together creates some genuinely moving moments.
Act Two opens with a breathtaking tribute to Jackson’s dance influences, blending references to Bob Fosse, Fred Astaire and the Nicholas Brothers. It’s a fitting reminder that Jackson wasn’t simply a pop star—he was a student of performance history who absorbed and transformed everything that came before him.
The choreography is extraordinary throughout. Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon OBE combines ballet precision with hip-hop energy, while Rich and Tone Talauega—Jackson’s actual choreographers during the 1990s—ensure every MJ movement feels authentic, both the iconic and the subtle. The result is a production where every song becomes a complex, visually stunning dance spectacle. At times, the relentless creativity and ensemble precision evoke memories of Hamilton at its best.
Now let’s address the (Black and White) elephant in the auditorium. This show does not confront the controversies that surrounded his life. It briefly touches on cosmetic surgery, skin colour, racism, financial struggles, addiction and allegations but does not examine them in any detail. The musical presents a sympathetic portrait of a lonely and often confused young man. The show is a celebration of Jackson’s faith in music, artistic vision, and determination not to compromise his work—not a biopic or truth-telling performance.
The makeup and wig design deserve special mention, perfectly capturing the increasingly artificial appearance that became part of Jackson’s public image during the later stages of his life.
If there is a weakness, it lies in the role of Rachel. Sarah Morrison, who joined the cast for the Perth season gives a perfectly competent musical theatre performance, but that’s precisely the problem. While the rest of the cast immerses the audience so completely in the world of 1992 that reality seems to disappear, her more traditional musical theatre delivery repeatedly breaks the illusion. It’s a minor distraction in an otherwise seamless production.
Thankfully, it’s little more than a footnote in what is otherwise a magnificent achievement. The production even knows when to pull back on the dazzling choreography, simplifying things for the emotional closing family performance of Man in the Mirror.
MJ the Musical isn’t just a jukebox musical. It’s a celebration of an artist’s genius, influences, faith and relentless pursuit of perfection. Spectacularly performed and brilliantly choreographed, it is one of the best musicals to hit Perth in recent years.
Simply put: it’s a thriller.
MELISSA MANN
