Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour
Too many hearts! Yes, red, glowing 3D hearts were one of the many props that were in Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour in Phoenix, Arizona on December 30th. As usual, Cirque du Soleil did it again! Being connoisseurs of good Cirque shows, our astonishment was beyond belief. They are still the best showmen on Earth, without fail.
Music was what glued this whole show together. With a live band playing accompanying the digitally-crafted scores of MJ, my heart just wanted to jump out off of my chest. Jeff had to restrain me from dancing and rocking, though a lot of people were actually standing and dancing like crazy! I can’t blame them, to be honest. I just couldn’t fathom what kind of cerebrums the creators have to be able come up with a show like this and to magnificently portray the songs of the King of Pop. Ridiculous!
The show started with a typical Cirque-style comedy, this time with four young MJ wannabes attempting MJ’s signature moves. The scene took off with a blast and set the pace for the show.
Smooth Criminal was, of course, very smooth! With the signature Jackson gravity-defying lean and dance steps, not to mention a touch of Cirque-style pyrotechnics and special effects, it was rocking!
Human Nature–which was one of my favorite scenes–was so high tech, and visually fascinating, that I thought I was hallucinating! Man, those LED lights really changed the world! The costumes have integrated Philips LED lights that chang colors in synch with the music! What made it extra special for me was the costume designer for this show is a Filipino. Awesome work by Zaldy Goco!
Thriller made the crowd go wild! It was of course one of the highlights of the show, being one of MJ’s hits. Lots of leaping mummies and mummies harnessed to wires were doing the classic, timeless dance steps which are distinctly Michael’s.
On a slower beat, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You was sensual and sleek in a Cirque kind of way. The pas de deux acrobatics were so flawless (and dangerous). I swear I did not blink for three minutes, to make sure I don’t miss a thing!
The Travis Payne choreographed They Don’t Care About Us was utterly flamboyant. Worth also mentioning is the Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough and Billie Jean Remix again featuring LED equipped costumes. …just blew me away!
There were 22 songs featured in the whole performance and the show was just perfect! US Airways was a good venue and I just couldn’t wrap my mind on how a travelling show, which was given one day to prep, was able to pull this off. The stage was unbelievably sneaky. They make you focus on one part of the stage only to distract you from looking at a ginormous prop that is appearing on another part of the stage. Before you know it, your eyes just played tricks on you. And then you do your typical Cirque du Soleil audience expression; jaw-drop and blurting out, “What in the world just happened?”
So, my verdict? This was the fifth Cirque du Soleil show we’ve seen so far. Having seen other ludicrous performances, I want to say that this my second favorite, next to KA. I am impressed with what this touring show delivered, and the whole crew nailed it! I am for sure seeing this again once it becomes a resident show at The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. This show made me grin, smile, laugh and cry. Jeff, who was never an MJ fan was impressed that night, and admitted that he, like me worshipped the show.
This show will sting like a bee for a long time and I couldn’t think of a better way to welcome the New Year. Long live the King!