The "Ick" Factor Defeats "MJ" and "Black No More"

Two new musicals, "MJ" and "Black No More," the former on Broadway and the latter off-Broadway but aiming for Broadway, have assembled strong casts and creative teams in their goal of finding commercial and critical success.  But both are undone by what I call the "ick" factor, a level of unintended discomfort that left this viewer unable to properly enjoy the works as a whole.

"MJ" is set in 1992 as its namesake Michael Jackson is preparing for his "Dangerous" concert tour, and the creators were clearly hoping to escape moral scrutiny by portraying a time period before the child abuse allegations against Jackson became public.  But they cannot escape inducing discomfort and derision in audience members who cannot forgive Jackson for his reprehensible actions involving children that were taking place at the time this show depicts, as well as later.   That was certainly the case for me, and the discomfort was thrust at me in reading the program note before the show that refers to Jackson as one of the greatest humanitarians of all time.  That note is beyond offensive and the creators of this show should be ashamed of sleight of hand they are trying to pull here.

I was hoping that "MJ" could somehow pull off separating the distasteful man from his art by just focusing on the musical and performance skills for which Jackson excelled.  When the show concentrates on the music and performance aspects of its namesake, the show provides great entertainment.  But Lynn Nottage's surprisingly pedestrian and uninspired book insists on telling the story behind the music and that is where the show simply cannot escape the ick factor in its aggrandizing someone who by his own words implicated himself in reprehensible actions involving children.  The songs are great, the dancing is great, the performers are great, the physical production elements are top notch.  But "MJ," by failing to separate the fatally flawed man from his art, sets itself up for defeat by discomfort.

In contrast to "MJ," "Black No More" does not provide some carefully crafted elements of entertainment, largely because despite having some outstanding talent in major roles (namely Brandon Victor Dixon, Ephraim Sykes, Lillias White, and Tamika Lawrence) this show is essentially a hot mess done in by the ick factor built into its lyrics and book.  The musical is an adaptation of the 1931 book by George S. Schuyler that tells the tale of a black scientist who invents a process of transforming people from black to white, and highlights a black character who undergoes the race changing process in pursuit of a white woman who rejects him for being black.  Admittedly that is not an easy tale to tell in 2022 without coming across as unduly offensive.  

Perhaps there is some way to tell this story in our current times without inducing unacceptable levels of viewer discomfort, but this show has not found the way to do so.  First, although the source material is considered a satire, this is played in a serious, rather than satirical, tone.  Second, the book spends about half of its time with racist white characters who regularly espouse offensive racial epitaphs that make the bulk of the show feel cringe-worthy and unwatchable.  And third, the primary protagonist played by the immensely talented Mr. Dixon cannot escape being tainted by the racists with whom he joins in racist solidarity, leaving the show with a rather reprehensible central character.  There is on line chatter that this show is aiming to be the next "Hamilton"- that is thinking that is as fantastical as the race changing fictional invention at the heart of this show, and no one will ever be in the room where that happens.

"COMPANY" and "MUSIC MAN" Show How To Successfully Revive A Musical In Different Ways

When reviving an often performed musical, revival creators may choose to reimagine/revise the original work in some significant way or stage something that is largely faithful to the original.  Personally, and especially with shows I have seen on multiple occasions, I tend to gravitate towards revivals that find a way to reconceive the original (like Nicholas Hytner's "Carousel" or Daniel Fish's "Oklahoma.")  But if traditional revivals get the major elements right, there are joys to be found in those revivals as well.

Currently playing on Broadway are Stephen Sondheim's "COMPANY" and Meredith Wilson's "THE MUSIC MAN," two hugely entertaining and successful musical revivals, one revisionist in nature and the other largely faithful to the original.  Both are attracting audiences that roar with delight and approval, and at least in the performances I saw, literally stop the shows at various times with sustained audience ovations.

The "Company" revival succeeds so well because from start to finish it sustains director Marianne Elliott's carefully conceived and psychologically astute substitution of a female lead protagonist  (the Bobby character) from the as originally written male lead character.  This re-thinking makes the work feel contemporary, fresh and refreshingly different from prior iterations of the show.  It also helps that Ms. Elliott has assembled a dream cast for this revival, not the least of which are Katrina Lenk as Bobbie, Matt Doyle as Jamie and Patti Lupone as Joanne.  I need two hands to count the number of "Company" production I have seen over the years, and the current revival is by the far the best one I have seen, and the staging of the song "Getting Married Today" is one of the most joyfully inventive musical numbers I have experienced on stage.

I was somewhat skeptical that director Jerry Zaks' production of "Music Man," even with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in the leads, would in any way justify the high prices it was charging.  This was based somewhat on my lack of enthusiasm for Zaks' "Hello Dolly" 2017 revival with Bette Midler, combined with finding the last production of "Music Man" I saw (the 2018 Marry Zimmerman production at Chicago's Goodman Theater) unexciting and dated.

But from the moment it began until its finale, the current revival of "Music Man" had me smiling from ear to ear.  Jackman and Foster are both hugely charismatic and have great on stage chemistry.  But beyond their sublime performances, the entire cast down to the smallest role is outstanding.  "Music Man" productions often falter in the performances of the children and younger characters, but kudos to the creators of this revival for finding an astounding collection of superb young talent.  It also helps that Wayne Carlyle's choreography feels fresh and exciting and highlights the considerable dancing skills of the Jackman and Foster.  The entire cast conveys a sense that they are having the times of lives on stage, and that joy is felt throughout the audience as evidenced by the very vocal audience reactions.  In short, the high ticket prices are amply justified by the musical theater perfection achieved by this revival.