Review: Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour by Cirque du Soleil
By Christine Petralia
Image courtesy of Cirque du Soleil
April 14, 2012
(as seen on April 8, 2012)
When I read that Cirque du Soleil was putting on a Michael Jackson show, I knew I had to see it. However, when I was in Vegas, I realized it's not there yet and it's still traveling (it should be there around early 2013). And then I got an email for discount tickets to the Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour show at Nassau Coliseum and I immediately purchased them.
And Cirque du Soleil did not disappoint. My only concern was how were they going to possibly fit all of his songs into this two-hour plus show. But they did a really good job. The theme of the show is a child-like mime or Michael is searching for himself essentially, trying to get into the Neverland ranch and in the process encounters all these performers, etc. There were acrobats, fire, flips, tumbles, rings, etc. Everything that Cirque du Soleil is about all to Jackson music. How could it not be good?
Some of my favorites were "Wanna Be Startin' Something" with the animals, "Smooth Criminal" with the 'bad guys,' the Scary Story part and the contortionist 'monster,' "Thriller" just because, the mash-up of "You Are Not Alone" and "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and the high-wire dancers, "Scream" and "They Don't Really Care About Us" and the alien, solider suits. That part was actually pretty awesome. And of course the mash-up at the end of "Billie Jean," "Can You Feel It," and "Black or White."
It was a great tribute to Michael Jackson and fun for everyone. I really liked that some families were there, introducing their kids to Jackson. It's a great way to keep his music alive for future generations, because no one really makes music that can compare to him. In fact the "You Are Not Alone" portion gave me chills.
My one complaint, and it's not really their fault, was we didn't get to see the pole-dancing portion to "Dangerous." They did the song, just not the pole-dancing part. OH and I loved that they had a live band with incredible musicians and singers. It made it so much better than just playing Jackson's music and performing to it.
4 stars.
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