Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal, Quebec-based entertainers have created “Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour,” set to debut October 2011 with ticket sales beginning November 6.
The writer and director of the show will be Jamie King, it was announced yesterday. King has been Madonna’s creative director for the last dozen years, including her 2008 Sticky and Sweet world tour, and has also worked with Rihanna, Celine Dion, Asian superstar Rain, Pink, and Christina Aguilera.
The concept of the presentation centers on “Michael’s inspirational Giving Tree – the wellspring of creativity where his love of music and dance, fairy tale and magic, and the fragile beauty of nature are unlocked,” according to the release.
The Immortal writer-director Jamie King has spent the past five months conceptualizing the show. He plans to start casting within the next month, with rehearsals starting in early 2011.
“We do it big, because Michael would have done it large, so we’re following that design if you will,” explains King, noting that the 90-minute multi-media spectacle will incorporate more than 60 performers and “great video screens” situated around the stage featuring “iconic Michael imagery, Michael Jackson on screen doing what he does like only he can do.”
“It’s really just a celebration of the man and his legend and his immortality,” King adds. “Even though he’s not there physically, you will feel him spiritually and emotionally because of what you’re visually seeing and hearing. It was easy for us because Michael has not only always been a fan of Cirque but has always lived in a kind of fairytale, fantastical way. So in may ways he’s already kind of Cirque-like…He loves magic, fairy tale, theatricality and appreciates everything that Cirque provides. So now that we have this great marriage we have such a great opportunity to flip things upside down and make it larger than life.”
Conceptually, King says, “our environment is Neverland. We get to go inside Michael’s head…inside this place of beauty and serenity and peace and learn all the secrets that are Michael — his loves, things that he believed in — and take this fantastic journey together. It really is based off of things we all really know of Michael.”
Source: Indpendent / Billboard
Leave a Reply