“MJ” focuses on the life and works of the late musical icon Michael Jackson, specifically centering on his 1992 Dangerous World Tour. The award-winning musical incorporates Jackson’s world-renowned music and dance moves and is intended to be a celebration of the singer’s life and accomplishments in a way that gets the audience moving as well. Philadelphia audiences will get to experience Jackson’s iconic discography when Ensemble Arts Philly and The Shubert Organization bring it to the Academy of Music, Jan. 8-19.
Out actor Josh A. Dawson, who is playing Tito Jackson and Quincy Jones in “MJ,” spoke about his experiences working on the show and his excitement about playing these music legends, stating, “I feel exceptionally honored and lucky to be playing these two wonderful icons.”
Dawson, whose other roles include Aaron Burr in “Hamilton” and Harry Belafonte in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” was particularly thrilled about the opportunity to play Quincy Jones.
Dawson shared, “This by far is my favorite [role], and I think it’s because I’m playing Quincy Jones, who has had such an impact on my life.”
Dawson added, “I’m a musician in real life. Quincy Jones just happens to be my idol…For me to be able to tap into those common denominators between me and him, it just feels wild.”
Aaron Burr is also among the roles that have meant the most to Dawson, who said, “I would say that between ‘Hamilton’ and ‘MJ,’ the last five years of my life have been probably the most rewarding.”
For Dawson, acting is about “honoring the people that have come before [him].”
“That’s my contribution to my ancestry,” Dawson said of his roles in “Hamilton” and “MJ.”
Dawson also spoke about the connection between this production of “MJ” and queer identity, sharing, “First and foremost, I am a queer person, so my experience is always to bring myself to my work.”
Dawson explained that queerness has enabled him to tap into an authenticity that he brings to each of his characters, whether they are queer or not. Dawson said, “That’s probably the biggest way that I can honor queerness in a space where I’m often playing straight people, is just to bring a little bit of who I am.”
“It’s no wonder why queer people took on to someone like Michael Jackson, who really just wanted to heal the world and had his own belief systems and his own worldview and artistry,” Dawson added.
Of the message he hopes audiences take away, Dawson explained, “My hope is that people see new information about this human and get a chance to see themselves in his artistry. He really cared about the world, the people, and all of us being connected to the stars and the universe and God and whatever variation of how one believes in those things.”
Dawson elaborated, “I think that once a person identifies that in this piece, it sort of becomes this unspoken responsibility for all of us to be able to see another person that doesn’t look like us, that doesn’t agree with us, that we don’t understand, again, to not pass judgment and to be intentional about showing light and love. That is my hope…I think especially right now, we have lost that.”
Dawson also mentioned that the Jackson family and estate have had a hand in the show, lending to its authenticity and respect for Michael Jackson.
“I like to tell people that this is likely the closest you’ll get to seeing the real-life Michael Jackson because you get the scenes, we get flashes of his humanity, and I think that’s what makes it so unique,” Dawson said. “Yes, you get all the performances, the singing, the acting, the dancing, everything that Michael gave us all the time, but you get glimpses, and I think it’s important to say glimpses and not full flashes where one can surmise a judgment.”
Ensemble Arts Philly and The Shubert Organization present “MJ” Jan 8-19 at the Academy of Music. An ASL and audio description performance will take place Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit ensembleartsphilly.org.