{"id":1955,"date":"2025-07-05T05:49:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T05:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/07\/05\/how-mj-the-musicals-jamaal-fields-green-made-michael-jackson-his-own\/"},"modified":"2025-07-05T05:49:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T05:49:05","slug":"how-mj-the-musicals-jamaal-fields-green-made-michael-jackson-his-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/07\/05\/how-mj-the-musicals-jamaal-fields-green-made-michael-jackson-his-own\/","title":{"rendered":"How MJ the Musical’s Jamaal Fields-Green Made Michael Jackson His Own"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tIt\u2019s a testament to the talent of Jamaal Fields-Green, star of the West End<\/a> production of MJ the Musical<\/em>, that fans waiting at the stage door deem him the real King of Pop.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s happened and in the States, too,\u201d the young theater<\/a> actor recalls to The Hollywood Reporter<\/em> about humoring audience members outside the venue. \u201cIt\u2019s not \u2018Jamaal, Jamaal!\u2019 It\u2019s \u2018Michael, Michael! Michael! Please, Michael.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFields-Green is the only actor to have starred in all three productions of the 10-time Tony-nominated show \u2014 the U.S. national tour, Broadway (where it grossed a whopping $265 million) and now on the prestigious theater scene of London\u2019s West End<\/a>. Based on Lynn Nottage\u2019s book<\/a>, with direction and choreography by ballet legend Christopher Wheeldon, the jukebox musical has been a hit with those seeking some semblance of the cultural magic that the late singer famously conjured.<\/p>\n

\n\tMJ the Musical <\/em>delivers. THR<\/em> was recently a guest of Fields-Green at a mid-week performance of the show, running at the Prince Edward Theatre in the heart of London. The 28-year-old had big shoes to fill: he took over from Myles Frost, winner of the best actor Tony in 2022, in January this year, and seized the opportunity to shine with a sequin gloved hand.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen the performer caught up with THR <\/em>some days later, he was still vibrating about the previous night. \u201cI had dinner with Laurence Fishburne<\/a> last night,\u201d he says, grinning. \u201cMy mom knows a close friend of his and I know a close friend of his, who has known me since high school when this was all just goals and a dream. He wanted me to meet him and\u2026 I mean, Laurence Fishburne is one of the greatest actors of all time. It was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFishburne came to see Fields-Green as Jackson in MJ the Musical<\/em> and, like the rest of us, was wowed by the uncanny resemblance. Born and raised in the Bronx, Fields-Green says the U.S. superstar was in his life from a very early age. \u201cI used to dance to \u2018Beat It\u2019 and \u2018You Rock My World,\u2019 which is my favorite MJ song. And \u2018Thriller,’\u201d he adds, \u201cmy grandfather was my DJ. He played a song, and then I would dance to the music in front of my family in our living room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter starting a rap group with his friends, Fields-Green found himself lured into school productions of Hairspray<\/em> and The Wizard of Oz<\/em>. He balanced it all with football, too, but opted for musical theater at the University of Hartford. Still in college, he booked what would go on to become the most talked-about show of the 21st century: Hamilton<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHonestly, I thought I was gonna have to get a bartending job and do the New York Grind, as they call it,\u201d he says about landing the dual role of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Chicago production. \u201cIt might have taken a few years or so, but fortunately, it came way earlier and it kind of catapulted me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tFields-Green grew up on Michael Jackson<\/a>\u2018s music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSuede\/@suede_baby<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThen, after a raucous run off-Broadway and \u201csome of the best years\u201d of his life, Fields-Green lost two years of his career to COVID-19. Everything \u2014 busy theater shows, especially \u2014\u00a0was on indefinite pause. \u201cI went back home and I picked up all my old chores back at the house,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was really, really nice get to spend time with my family, but it was hard. It was definitely hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter landing two callbacks for MJ the Musical<\/em> in 2020 but not getting the part, he went to see the show after the pandemic had subsided. \u201cI didn\u2019t know if they\u2019re gonna [be able] do it,\u201d he remembers thinking at a 2022 performance. \u201cThis is Michael Jackson. It\u2019s pretty hard. After the first number, I was like, \u2018Holy moly.\u2019 And by the fourth, not even halfway through the [first] act, I was like, \u2018Oh my God. I think they\u2019re doing it.’\u201d During the intermission, an email arrived in Fields-Green\u2019s inbox: They\u2019re looking for future replacements for the role of Michael Jackson.<\/p>\n

\n\tBefore inheriting the lead part, Fields-Green was a standby for both the roles of middle Michael (a younger version of the singer leading up to his Dangerous<\/em> World Tour) and \u201ccurrent day\u201d MJ, who takes the reins on the show\u2019s most impressive musical numbers \u2014\u00a0moonwalking and crotch-grabbing through \u201cSmooth Criminal\u201d and \u201cBeat It\u201d as convincingly as Jackson himself.<\/p>\n

\n\tFields-Green was flown out to Los Angeles to train with people who worked and knew Michael Jackson. Choreographers Rich and Tone Talauega did not let him rest until the first number, \u201cBillie Jean,\u201d was perfect. \u201cI\u2019m thinking, \u2018I\u2019m botching this.\u2019 We haven\u2019t touched \u2018Beat It.\u2019 Oh my Gosh. But I kept at it,\u201d he continues, \u201cAnd eventually ended up getting it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe performer explains that YouTube has been his best friend in nailing down not only Jackson\u2019s dance moves, but off-stage mannerisms, too. He consulted all of the star\u2019s inspirations: James Brown, Bob Fosse, Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis Jr., Boogaloo Shrimp and more. Interview archives became a precious resource. \u201cListening to the cadence of his voice, the way he pronounced certain words, the way he used his hands, the way that he walked, his stature,\u201d Fields-Green continues.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI did an extensive amount of research on him, because that\u2019s what was needed. This line of work, I\u2019m not just playing a character that was made out of thin air. I\u2019m playing someone that walked and breathed on this earth and left behind a legacy that is now in my hands for the duration of the show that you go and watch it for. It\u2019s a huge responsibility. But I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTo call the role demanding is an understatement. It\u2019s six, back-to-back, meticulously-choreographed performances every week, and Fields-Green continues to drops inches around his waist as a result of the vigorous workout (despite the intensity, he lists \u201cSmooth Criminal\u201d and \u201cThriller\u201d as his favorite sequences). There are gentler moments, such as the heartfelt duet with his mother (Koko Alexandra) and the documentary team (Philippa Stefani and Matt Gonsalves) hoping to persuade MJ to open up about his health and addiction struggles.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe more tense scenes arrive in the form of the Jackson 5\u2019s overbearing, exploitative father Joseph (Matt Mills), and the various allegations that have tainted the star\u2019s legacy leading up to and since his 2009 death are quietly alluded to.<\/p>\n

\n\tDoes Fields-Green think the abuse charges (and eventual acquittal) has altered the way fans interact with the show? \u201cWhat I love about the show is that it doesn\u2019t shy away from the realness of what was going on in his life,\u201d he responds. \u201cHe was at the height of his career, and then all of this stuff was happening\u2026 But this show allows us to see the human being behind the icon. I think you get to come and form your own opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tFields-Green took over the titular role on MJ the Musical <\/em>from Myles Frost.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSuede\/@suede_baby<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tOne of the biggest takeaways for Fields-Green in stepping into the famous black loafers is how much the music legend was constantly having to prove himself. \u201cI remember him saying, \u2018By the time I was 20 or 21 I was already a vet in the industry,\u2019 which is such a flex,\u201d he says. \u201cBut creating Off the Wall<\/em> and only winning, what, maybe one or two Grammys for it? And feeling shut out and and slept on. Having all this anger that he had that led him to create Thriller<\/em>, which goes down as one of the greatest albums of all time\u2026 Then he felt like he had to do it all again with Bad<\/em>, with Dangerous<\/em>, his tours and his artistry and his music videos \u2014\u00a0he had to keep topping himself because he felt the industry was sleeping on him. That was very shocking to me. But comforting \u2014 it\u2019s like, if MJ has to do this, that makes me feel better about having to do it as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not just elaborate dance numbers and pages of lines to learn \u2014\u00a0Fields-Green has also had to get used to performing to British audiences. \u201cYou guys definitely practice pristine theater etiquette,\u201d he laughs. \u201cIt\u2019s a quick clap, clap, clap and silence. I love it. The actors [can] really engulf ourselves in the world that we\u2019re creating without distraction.\u201d American spectators, he says, are a tad more rowdy.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd his aspirations don\u2019t stop at the stage door. Fields-Green is a screenwriter, short film maker \u2014\u00a0his project The Trick <\/em>screened at the LA Black Film Festival \u2014 TV actor and musician. Under the name of J. Hasan, he released an EP, What Was the Reason<\/em>, in June. But he keeps it in the Jackson family: two of the tracks feature fellow Michaels Brandon Harris (middle Michael on the West End) and Jordan Markus (lead MJ on the national tour).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019d be lying to you if I said I didn\u2019t want an EGOT,\u201d Fields-Green, recently a recipient of the prestigious Helen Hayes Award for outstanding lead actor in a resident musical, confesses to THR<\/em>. He is as ambitious as the man he embodies: \u201cWhen all\u2019s said and done, I want to leave behind a line of work where I have created a legendary legacy of my own.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a testament to the talent of Jamaal Fields-Green, star of the West End production of MJ the Musical, that fans waiting at the stage door deem him the real King of Pop. \u201cIt\u2019s happened and in the States, too,\u201d the young theater actor recalls to The Hollywood Reporter about humoring audience members outside the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[2190,2192,2189,2191,2188],"class_list":{"0":"post-1955","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fashion","8":"tag-fieldsgreen","9":"tag-jackson","10":"tag-jamaal","11":"tag-michael","12":"tag-musicals"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1957,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions\/1957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}