Thriller Live, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre - review
Call it a tribute concert, a musical or whatever you like, but one thing is for sure, Flying Music in association with Adrian Grant's production of Thriller, a celebration of the music of the incomparable Michael Jackson, at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre this week is guaranteed to make you Remember The Time!
Last night's packed house lapped up two and a half hours of non-stop hits, performed to perfection by an uber talented cast of singers and dancers, who whipped through Jackson's repertoire, cementing his reputation as the King of Pop and reminding us just how important his songs are to the history of modern music.
Look deep into the show and you will see it is a fairly low budget affair – probably because of the need to keep touring costs down - but atmospheric lighting effects, digital images and LED screens do create a visually breathtaking spectacle. The audience however are not fooled by the smoke and mirrors; it is the music they have come for.
The start of Act One does have a strangely nostalgic feel, but don't look for a storyline and is unlikely that you will learn much more about Jackson's life than has already been written and said. It's a simple formula; it's all about the music.
A team of five lead vocalists; Britt Quentin, Sean Christopher, Shaquille Hemmans, Victoria Pasion and Rory Taylor, together with the incredible Thriller Live band, storm seamlessly through hit after hit, taking us on a journey through Jackson's career, staring with The Jackson Five, onto the disco years, the albums Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad and Dangerous then right up to the songs in which Jackson expressed his political and ecological views. Supported by a team of high energy, super talented dancers, it's a winning combination.
From the minute the show began, you could feel the need to dance and just one song in and everyone was singing along. Act One gave us the simple pop lyrics of ABC and I Want You Back, to the disco feel of Blame It On The Boogie and Shake Your Body Down, then on to Jackson at his most romantic with Human Nature and a stunning solo performance of She's Out Of My Life by lead vocalist Rory Taylor, the list is endless.
Highlights included the male dancers' execution of super slick choreography to Dangerous and a stunning end to the first half of the show with Can You Feel It.
Act Two just got better and better, opening with Wanna Be Starting Something, then moving through hit after hit again, including The Way You Make Me Feel, PYT, Beat It and a stunning version of Smooth Criminal, complete with "the lean!"
Rory Taylor's version of Dirty Diana brings an edgy, rock feel to the show, in which Emily Golding-Ellis and Gabriela Hernandez offer mesmerising dance moves and there are exceptional guitar solos courtesy of Allan Salmon and Robert Minns, although the strength of the girls' performance meant that all I could really watch was the precision and sheer abandonment of these outstanding dancers.
The anticipation was almost unbearable as the finale beckoned and Sean Christopher did not disappoint, giving us a near perfect dance rendition and eerily accurate representation of Jackson performing one of his best loved hits, Billy Jean, transporting us back to the early eighties, complete with a silver glove, sequin socks and Trilby.
The title of the show, Thriller, was one of the most anticipated, longest awaited TV moments of 1982, with the world on the edge of its seat as Jackson and his zombies created pure magic. This cast does exactly the same, whipping the crowd into a frenzy amid spooky sound effects, flashing lights, creepy costumes and an electric atmosphere.
You'd think that would be the end, but no. A finale of Black Or White, in which I felt a palpable united mood amongst the crowd and the reprises of Smooth Criminal and Thriller finished off an evening of unmissiable entertainment.
Runs until Saturday. 01902 429212 or www.grandtheatre.co.uk for tickets.
By Alison Norton
