Michael Jackson Meets Cirque Du Soleil In Powerful Show In Raleigh
Photo from Cirque Du Soleil
By The Raleigh Telegram
RALEIGH – With an amazing combination of fireworks, giant video screens, dancing robots, a hot air balloon, contortionists, flying acrobats, a one legged dancer, glowing hearts, magical LED suits, and moving tributes to Michael Jackson career, the touring version of the new “Michael Jackson, The Immortal World Tour” by Cirque du Soleil awed audiences when the production visited the RBC Center in Raleigh on Saturday.
The production is worthy of Michael Jackson’s amazing life in which he brought joy to millions of fans across the globe through decades of music.
The moving presentation was presented with Jackson’s music playing in the background with live dancers on stage and some tracks, including the guitar riff in the iconic “Beat It,” featured live musicians as well.
Giant computer-controlled video screens that could be raised and lowered filled up the stage in front of the audience, while dancers swirled around the floor or even in the air, as they often flew above the audience on hidden wires.
The sheer technical prowess required to manage all of the computerized screens and special effects is impressive with their ability to coordinate timing with the dancers and music.
During the show, the audience was able to follow Michael Jackson’s storied career from childhood as he performed with his family in the Jackson Five to his adult hits that including songs from “Thriller,” the best selling album of all time, and tunes from later in his career.
Songs included “Wanna Be Starting Something,” “Ben,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Dangerous,” “Beat It,” “ABC,” “Thriller,” “Scary Story,” “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Scream,” “Earth Song,” “They Don’t Care About Us,” “Will You Be There,” “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough,” “Billie Jean,” “Black or White,” and others.
The show’s moving end transitioned from a “Megamix” which included a powerful medley of music, international flare, and fireworks in recognition of Michael’s world-wide influence and then introspectively concluded with “Man In The Mirror,” which is a song Jackson often chose to finish with at his concerts.
Probably the most powerful segment of the night was “They Don’t Care About Us,” in which dozens of robots with glowing metallic suits marched across the stage in unison, with Jackson’s thundering music in the background. It was an impressive scene that portrayed the raw power behind Jackson’s music.
The video content on the screens included haunting scenes that were specially created for the show but also television broadcasts of Michael as a young man when he was in the Jackson Five, videos from his career, and stunning animations that reflected the musical score.
The Cirque du Soleil performers were amazing and highlights included great performances from Jean Sok, a one legged dancer, and Anna Melnikova, a pole dancer who was able to seemingly defy gravity. Contortionist Baaska Enkhbaatar also impressed audiences with her flexibility on stage. Others flew in the air during the show including aerial artists Luba Kazantseva and Igor Zaripov who were terrific.
The Cirque du Soleil artists were magnificent and performed amazing stunts without the benefit of nets flawlessly.
Our only complaint about the show was that there seemed to be more time spent on Jackson’s lesser known songs than such iconic hits as “Beat It” and “Bad” and for those who grew up with his 1980′s songs might be disappointed. Even mega-hit “Thriller” was given somewhat of a chopped up treatment, without playing the entire song all the way through, focusing on Vincent Price’s monologue instead.
The segments that didn’t fiddle with Jackson’s scores or tried to be artistic with the actual music itself seemed to be the most effective in terms of moving the audience. In other words, we felt that Cirque du Soleil should have just played mostly the entire songs without trying to include DJ mixing effects that cut back and forth between hits.
However, overall the entire show successfully integrates Michael Jackson’s amazing music, live performances, video backgrounds, and special effects into one big tour de force that is a tribute to the much loved singer’s life and legacy.
Sadly, with the untimely passing of Michael Jackson, the tour will likely be the closest you can come to seeing Jackson live in concert. If you are a fan of Michael Jackson’s music, you definitely owe it to yourself to see “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour” which presents his life’s work in an entertaining, dazzling, and emotionally moving manner. ::
PHOTO FROM CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
