#81: MJ: The Musical with national tour star Jordan Markus

When you want to hear about Michael Jackson, it's best to talk to the man himself...or, given the impossibility of that, the man who's playing him. As of New Year's Eve 2024, the actor playing the title role in "MJ: The Musical" on the show's first national tour has been Jordan Markus. Markus worked his way up into the role, starting as an understudy, moving into the alternate role, and then finally hitting the top of the marquee after more than a year with the tour.

Markus lends me some insight into the workings of "MJ: The Musical" and talks about his process for inhabiting such a challenging show. Since this show is relative newcomer to the Broadway scene - it opened in 2022 - it doesn't have some of the rich lore of other long-running hits but I cover the background it does have in my introduction.

If you are a theater snob (like me...) you might write off a production like "MJ" as another one of those "spectacle" shows engineered to keep the tourists entertained on Broadway. Maybe...but it's worth looking at how exactly this show has managed to become so crazily popular so quickly, already approaching the Top 20 as one of the most lucrative shows ever.

More than ever, you are going to want to check out our website, ChasingPhantom.net, that includes more information and, especially, videos related to the show. This is a show that's all about how it looks and how it moves so you're going to want to watch some videos!