Cirque du Soleil To Stage Michael Jackson Show
After staging productions based on Elvis and the Beatles’ catalogs, Cirque du Soleil is set to take on the music of Michael Jackson. Late next year, the Montreal-based company will kick off a touring production based on the late King of Pop’s songs before setting up shop in Las Vegas starting in late 2012. “The entire catalog is open to us,” said Cirque du Soleil president Daniel Lamarre in an interview with MTV. “We don’t know [which songs we’ll use] yet, but obviously all of the people will be looking for the big hits of Michael Jackson.”
While the plot details of the production have yet to be developed, Lamarre said that fans can expect some 3D or holographic iteration of Jackson to appear in the show. “If you are an MJ fan, you want to see him, and we have to find the best, most innovative way to bring Michael onstage,” he said. Still, like Cirque’s Beatles tribute Love, the Jackson production will not be a straight-ahead biopic.
Cirque and Jackson’s estate will have joint control over the production, with both parties sharing the costs of producing it. In a statement, Jackson’s mother Katherine said, “Our family is thrilled that Cirque du Soleil will pay tribute to my son in such an important way.”