Michael Jackson- There Was So Much More to the Show I’ve said it before, but the movie really just was a teaser of what the full Michael Jackson production would have been. It was limited to the portions of the show we had rehearsed, and we were still getting in new props, developing new show elements and editing video content right up until the tragic halt. The set lists for rehearsals were literally changing by the day.
For instance, in the film there is a brief clip where Danielle Rueda-Watts was practicing on a structure that looked like a bed. That was to be used during the song Dirty Diana. We had only practiced the song once and never actually on stage. The final bed prop only arrived the day before production halted, and was still in its packaged wrapping as we were loading out the show.
We were still adjusting the crystal chandeliers that would feature our aerialists spinning from the ceiling during Smooth Criminal. The 3D content was in final rendering and hadn't yet been tested in rehearsal.
But there were many secretly planned elements to be inserted over the course of the 60-show run at the 02 Arena, many of which were a surprise to those in the production. Shaheen Jafargholi’s performance was one such element.
The element of surprise was one of the core things that made Jackson’s shows so spectacular. While always well-rehearsed and refined, he always kept aces in his pocket to surprise the audience, even if they had seen a production before. This Is It was nothing short of a jaw-dropping experience, one that would have kept the production crew always on their toes and the audience in awe.
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he always kept aces in his pocket to surprise the audience, even if they had seen a production before.
I bet he does <!-- s;) -->
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Michael Jackson- He Really Got It Like No One Else You see throughout the This Is It movie that Jackson GOT his music. He wasn’t just another nice person put on stage, but knew EXACTLY how things should sound, what tempo he wanted them in, where a bar needed to be added to give time for a move or where a stage element needed to be added to make every moment count. He “got it” like no other artist I’ve ever seen.
Jackson didn’t just know his music. He knew how to balance every aspect of the performance for the ultimate entertainment value, from the use of props to special effects and illusions. He understood the MAGICAL element of live entertainment which is why he’s known as the King of Pop and why he has been proclaimed as the greatest entertainer that ever lived.
Jackson brought in leading industry specialists on every production. For This Is It he upped the ante ten-fold, bringing in aerialist consultants, one-of-a-kind costume designers, special effects consultants and magical effects creators. He really was pulling out all the stops. There were no boundaries to the creativity and ideas being brought to the table.
To give you an idea of the talent and creativity involved, just on the video side of things, we had people that had worked on the looks for High School Musical to technology experts that had created special effects for the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Some of the key people involved in the 3D helped create the original Star Wars special effects and visual elements, setting the industry standards for everyone to work toward ever since.
Jackson didn’t just leave it to the experts. He had final approval and truly directed what the final product and performance was going to be.
During one of the rehearsals there were some scene change decisions that needed to be made. Jackson, Kenny Ortega, Travis Payne, the dancers, musicians and back-up singers were all up on stage. Ortega started to make a decision as the creative director, but Jackson wanted it otherwise. In his gentle yet leading way, Jackson politely said, “Kenny, let me do it. Let me make the decision. I need to decide what happens here.”
Jackson was never forceful and never threw temper tantrums, but always confidently presented his views or corrections while balancing it with his infamous L.O.V.E. that he showed to all involved. He carefully balanced when he needed to rely on the expertise of others and when he needed to be the one to make the decision, based on his full conception of what he wanted the show to look like.
There was one evening that I’ll never forget. The show cuts had been done, and we were down to the fine tuning — finessing stage elements and coaching for stage presence. Jackson wanted to see how it was all going to look from the audiences’ perspective, and had Travis Payne stand in for him. As one of the main choreographers and a collaborator on this project with Jackson, Payne was the only person who knew Jackson’s moves.
There’s a quick clip of this in the movie. It’s where Dorian Holley comes out to the front of the stage during Jam and does the solo lines of “... It ain’t too hard for me to jam.” If you notice very quickly in the shot right next to him Payne is standing in for Jackson.
Jackson sat down with Ortega and some of the creative team at tables 50 feet away from the stage and watched the rehearsal while making notes, stopping at certain points and coaching and directing with changes throughout.
At one point in this rehearsal, Orianthi Panagaris and Tommy Organ were doing a dueling guitar performance set that ended down stage left. They both rocked the house, but — as they had rehearsed — quickly moved into place for the next song. What happened next I will never forget. Suddenly you heard Jackson come over the PA saying, “Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.”
There was a long pause and you could have heard a pin drop in the building. Everyone wondered what was wrong or what we all missed that Jackson saw wasn’t right. Did they hit the wrong note or finish the song not in the way Jackson wanted? Were they in the wrong spot when they finished?
Jackson, gentle but firm, asked them to go back to the position where they ended the song and stop there. They obeyed while everyone else stayed silent, waiting. Properly repositioned, Jackson told them to freeze in that moment after they finished the song.
“You two did awesome and killed it,” Jackson told them. “What you need to realize is you need to freeze and allow that moment to sizzle. You need to allow the audience to take in the energy and the incredible musical moment you two just created and allow it to simmer. You need to allow them to absorb what just happened and then continue on.”
Jackson had a keen understanding of how to draw the audience into every song with unsurpassed intensity. He understood that it wasn’t just about his unique moves, but how his moves went with the music. He understood how everyone on stage has a vital role in portraying the mood of a song, or how a well-placed pause can have just as much, if not more of an impact than the song itself.
That is what made Jackson the greatest entertainer that ever lived. He simply got the entire package of entertainment from music to lighting to choreography and set design like no one else.
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I enjoyed reading these interesting stories about the amazing experience working with MJ. To experience his talent as a singer, dancer, producer with innovative brilliant ideas expressed with L.O.V.E. must be so inspiring. To work with him or to just watch him working is inspiring to everyone. I think it gives an motivational boost to all personal capabilities of each one who worked there. I wanted to post more amazing stories, there are too many and they are all interesting. See for yourself <!-- s:D -->
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