Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour brings the best of Jackson's music together with all the fantastical elements that Cirque du Soleil is known for.
Maintaining the musical legacy of Michael Jackson is no small feat, but this show is up to the task, according to spokesperson Laura Silverman.
“It's extremely important to us,” she says. “It's interesting because most people in the world, even if they aren't huge Michael Jackson fans, know at least a couple of his songs. When you watch our show and hear the songs you know — and a few more you didn't know were his — you realise how vast his musical catalogue is. There are moments when you just hear his voice, and you realise when you take away the sequin gloves, the moonwalk, and all the headlines, he was such a talented musician. His talent can give you chills, really. He changed the entertainment industry forever, and everyone involved in the show is grateful for the chance to carry on his legacy. We want the audience to enjoy Michael's music from the early days of the Jackson 5, to his later hits from just before he died.”
When Cirque du Soleil get involved with a project, audience expectations skyrocket. The Immortal World Tour is no exception.
“It's Cirque du Soleil-meets-rock concert,” Silverman says. “Fans will see all the acrobatic elements they know Cirque for, and of course Michael Jackson's music. There are a lot of his dance moves in the show — his iconography, his costumes, his messages, and his voice. We were given unprecedented access to all his original master tracks, and what you're hearing is Michael's voice from the original tracks played with a live band, so you feel like you're at one of his concerts. When you put those two entities together you come up with something pretty wild.
“Michael was always a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil. He saw one of the very first shows in Santa Monica California in the '80s, and then in 2007 he visited our headquarters in Montreal and just fell in love with it. He got lost in the costume department and met a bunch of the artists. They planned to one day work together, but unfortunately the opportunity didn't come up, and then his estate approached Cirque du Soleil and decided this was the best way to create a show to celebrate him. We wanted to create a show that would pay tribute to his legacy, and who he was as an artist, and also that he himself would have loved and would have wanted to be a part of.”
The famously guarded Jackson family have given the show their blessing, adding that all-important element of authenticity.
“They were very supportive from the start,” she says. “Michael's mother, kids, and brothers came out to the world premiere in Montreal in 2011. They came to the premiere in Vegas as well, and his brothers came to Montreal during the rehearsal process to meet with the artists and creators. They've always been supportive of it, and told us that Michael would have loved this show, which is what we hoped for.”
The Immortal World Tour will travel to the following cities:
Sep 18-22 — Perth Arena
Sep 26-29 — Allphones Arena (Sydney)
Oct 02-06 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Oct 09-13 — Rod Laver Arena (Melbourne)
Oct 15-17 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre
