January 27 - News and Mentionings

Many articles are covering the Broadway Thriller musical today which were first mentioned in yesterdays thread:



Michael Jackson’s "Thriller" Coming to Broadway

Break out your red leather jacket and '80s dance moves; "Thriller" is set to hit the stage.

Who doesn’t love the part of Halloween parties when the DJ spins “Thriller” and everyone busts out their best Michael Jackson impersonations? The “Thriller” phenomenon will take the stage giving Broadwayfanatics something new to look forward to seeing.

Rolling Stone reports that the Nederlander Organization has acquired the rights to make a new musical based on the zombie-themed video for the hit song.

The video for “Thriller,” at 14 minutes long, is more or less a mini-film featuring dancing zombies and Jackson himself turning into a werewolf while out on a date. The video was awarded a Grammy in 1985 for Best Video, Long Form. MTV awarded “Thriller” the number one spot of the 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made in 1999.

“I love the idea of making 'Thriller' a musical. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, boy has big secret, now what?” said producer and company head James L. Nederlander. The Nederlander Organization owns nine Broadway theatres, according to the Associated Press.

The King of Pop will have his say in the creation of the musical, which will feature songs from two of Jackson’s albums, "Off the Wall" and "Thriller," according to Rolling Stone.

A creative team and theatre dates have not yet been announced

http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/features/23917.html




Broadway debut for Jackson Thriller

Michael Jackson's Thriller could soon be making its Broadway debut.
E! reports that the King of Pop has announced that he is working on a stage musical based on his 1982 masterpiece, with theatrical maestros The Nederlander Organization.

"The Nederlanders and Michael Jackson represent live theatre and musical excellence, so the let music begin," said Michael's representative Dr. Tohme Tohme.

Jackson will oversee "every aspect of the creative process," providing songs from the album Thriller including the title track and hits Billie Jean, Beat It and P.Y.T.
Songs from his hit 1979 album, Off the Wall, which featured Rock With You, and Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' will also be included.


Rumour has it that the plot will follow Michael's groundbreaking 14 minute horror Thriller video, which saw the star being chased by zombies.
However, there is no word yet on when Thriller, the Musical will be making its Broadway debut.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Show...n-Thriller/article-645660-detail/article.html




Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' musical may come to Chicago

Michael Jackson's iconic 1983 music video "Thriller" may become a stage musical. The theater producer Nederlander Organization officially announced Monday that it has acquired the rights to the video and plans to turn it into a Broadway show.

Rumors of the project first surfaced last fall on New York gossip pages. And because the Nederlander Organization controls Broadway in Chicago, such a project could have a pre-Broadway debut in Chicago.

"Could be," said James L. Nederlander, the coy lead producer, on Monday morning. "I'd like to."

To come to Chicago, after all, Nederlander would mostly have to do a deal just with himself. "We have a lot of disagreements," he said, "me, myself and I."

"Thriller," which has yet to acquire the rest of its creative team, will be at least a couple of years away. But Nederlander said that Jackson would be personally and fully involved in the creation of the show.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/featu...-jackson-thriller-musicajan27,0,1693877.story




[/center][/center]Today in
Michael Jackson History[/center]

mah birfday in new zealand ends in 10 mins and is just starting in usa yayay

I am so excited about this Thriller musical. I hope I get to see it when it comes out. Wonder if they're going to tour it.

i am too
its gonna be grand

mariemarie said:

Many articles are covering the Broadway Thriller musical today which were first mentioned in yesterdays thread:

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I wonder if Mr. Nederlander knew in advance that working with Michael Jackson would have generated this HUGE amount of media attention. LOL!

Well I guess one thing he learned from yesterday and today, is that he won't have to spend that much of the production's budget on PROMOTION, since the media loves to follow MJ's every move, this production will be getting plenty of FREE promotion.

The King of Pop will have his say in the creation of the musical,

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"Jackson will oversee "every aspect of the creative process,"

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MJ will get to wear yet another "hat".

It's got to feel good knowing that you have created
something this epic garnering this kind of attention.
Thriller has been displayed and portrayed in a lot of ways, ie. the
thousand or so inmates re-enacting the DANCE.
This is cool. If it does make it to Chi-town, I'm gonna try my best to go.

Thanks Marie

Big Apple2 said:

I wonder if Mr. Nederlander knew in advance that working with Michael Jackson would have generated this HUGE amount of media attention. LOL!

Well I guess one thing he learned from yesterday and today, is that he won't have to spend that much of the production's budget on PROMOTION, since the media loves to follow MJ's every move, this production will be getting plenty of FREE promotion.

Click to expand...

I guess he knew lolol. Now he gotta keep his word, together with Michael Jackson that is!

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' to become a Broadway musical

BY LAUREN JOHNSTON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, January 26th 2009, 2:05 PM
Get ready zombie lovers - "Thriller" is heading to Broadway.

'Cause this is Thriller – Thriller matinee?
It looks like the zombies of Michael Jackson’s legendary album and hit single "Thriller"are shifting dayside and trading the graveyard for Broadway.
Get ready for "Thriller the Musical.”
James L. Nederlander confirmed Monday that his organization had acquired the rights to feature songs from both "Thriller"– the best-selling album of all time – and "Off the Wall"in a new theatrical production.
The story, he said, is made for the Broadway stage "Girl meets boy, they fall in love, boy has major secret and let’s see what happens from there.
It’s a lot of singing, a lot of dancing and a good story line,"Nederlander said.
The album and landmark John Landis music video celebrated their 25th anniversaries in 2008 – prompting a reissue of the album and special screening of "Michael Jackson: Making Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'" at the Tribeca Film Festival.
And the King of Pop apparently wants to keep the "Thriller" legacy alive.
"Michael was interested in doing something a little more with "Thriller"and he came to me to see if there was any interest and I said, 'Very much so.’ Now it’s time to put the creative team together,"Nederlander said.
The reclusive pop star will be very hands on in the show’s production, according to both Nederlander and Jackson’s rep – and may even attend auditions for the show’s casting.
Expect to see the production onstage in about a year-and-a-half to two years, Nederlander said, but not in New York City – or at least not right away. The production will kick off somewhere out-of-town and later make its way to a Nederlander theater, he said.
And it will likely have a ready audience eager to buy tickets: the troupe of "Thriller"devotees who have perform the video’s choreography each year at the annual Village Halloween Parade.
The show will be based on the 1983 music video directed by filmmaker Landis, the creative mind behind a string of late 1970s and early 1980s comedy hits including "Animal House," "The Blues Brothers," and "Coming to America."
Landis later directed Jackson’s video for the song "Black or White" in 1991.
"Thriller" was the first music video of its kind – the 14-minute short film was a horror spoof in which a young couple’s date is disrupted when the young man – Jackson – turns into a werewolf.
It will be the latest in a string of pop music hits to make the jump from Billboard charts to the Broadway stage.
The past few years have brought musicals about Elvis Presley ("All Shook Up"2005), The Beach Boys ("Good Vibrations"2005), John Lennon ("Lennon"2005), Bob Dylan ("The Times They Are A Changin’"2006), and Johnny Cash ("Ring of Fire"2006).
For the most part, these shows flopped. "Lennon"and "Ring of Fire"each closed after about six weeks. "Good Vibrations"got two months and "All Shook Up"ran for four months.
So will "Thriller" fare any better?
"If it can reach you in the heart, I think we have a shot," Nederlander said.
Take our Poll


It's 'Thriller the Musical'

Take our Poll

Would you go to see zombies on stage?
Oh yes - I'll be there in zombie makeup 68%
No way - It's sure to bomb 32%


Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertai...michael_jacksons_thriller_to_become_a_br.html

rickd said:

mah birfday in new zealand ends in 10 mins and is just starting in usa yayay

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:lol: Extended B-days :yes:

thanks for the n&m. i can't wait for this. and happy b-day everyone.

That's a great picture from the video up above.

I guess John Landis is bitching now that he sees he can make a mint off of the Broadway production. Hasn't he been whining on and off for the past few years about this, and didn't he at one point recant his claim that it was Michael who owed him money, realizing it was really Sony? He's a flakey asshole anyway.

wannabestartinsomthin21 said:

That's a great picture from the video up above.

I guess John Landis is bitching now that he sees he can make a mint off of the Broadway production. Hasn't he been whining on and off for the past few years about this, and didn't he at one point recant his claim that it was Michael who owed him money, realizing it was really Sony? He's a flakey asshole anyway.

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that is exactly it.. everyone else involved in Thriller didn't realize what its potential was and now seeing what its created.. want more than they signed up for...

50%???? that is really high... but time will tell when details comes out...

A full length Thriller on stage makes soooooo much sense to me!! And with Michael's involvement, amazing doesn't even begin to describe what is possible!! :clapping:

Hopefully this musical actually makes it to the stage and nothing derails it.