12 February 2015 (gig)
12 February 2015
Direct from London, Thriller Live has arrived on Australian shores. Paying homage to the King Of Pop, the sensational show has incredibly been seen by over 3 million people in over 28 countries. Opening at The State Theatre in Melbourne,Thriller Live was an extravaganza, with over two hours of non-stop hits, including I Want You Back, ABC, Can You Feel It, Off The Wall, The Way You Make Me Feel, and Beat It.
Thriller Live, conceived and created by Adrian Grant, an associate of Michael Jackson, and author of Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary was recently entered into the record books as the longest running show in the Lyric Theatre's 125 year history.
If you're expecting to see just one person personifying Michael Jackson, let me correct you. The duties are spread across six vocalist, and I must say it perplexed me at first. However, given that Michael Jackson was such a force of nature, I gather it was necessary to have several artists emulate the moonwalking legend. Special mention goes out to stand-out performers Sean Christopher, Prinnie Stevens and MiG Ayesa.
In a recent interview MiG Ayesa stated, "It's been a big honour to be representing Michael, his music and his legacy, but it also comes with a great responsibility. There are so many fans out there that love Michael's music and we have to do it right." Ayesa can breath a sigh of relief as the audience lapped it up and required little encouragement to cheer and get up and dance. The lack of narrative however, created some lulls in the show and certain issues in Michael's life were glaringly overlooked. All this aside the show captured Michael's finer moments and sensational accolades that can not be ignored.
Highlight of the show was undoubtedly Thriller, closely followed by Bad, Black and White, Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal. Some of the dance moves in these songs were particularly hypnotic and gave Sean Christopher licence to steal the show.
