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28 March 2024

Review: Cirque du Soleil recreates Michael Jackson magic, moonwalks into Dubai

Image Courtesy: Cirque Du Soleil

Published
By Bindu Suresh Rai

It was the day the music died that sultry June morning over three years ago.

Yet, ask any an ardent fan, and the legend of Michael Jackson remains preserved to welcome another generation of loyalists to carry the flame into a new decade.

As we sat in the audience at the Dubai World Trade Centre to marvel at Cirque Du Soleil’s ‘Immortal World Tour’ in its final swansong to the legend himself, perhaps more than the choreographed extravaganza that thousands of eyes feasted on last night, it was a lone young boy’s moonwalk in the midst of the technical wonders that would have really warmed Jackson’s heart.


A new generation had indeed taken up the mantle.

That said, if we could name the emotion that united the 6,000-odd crowd that was seated in the audience last night, then it was probably a shroud of sadness that confirmed any fan’s worst fears: no show on earth could ever compare to the legend of Jackson himself.

But Cirque du Soleil put forth an earnest effort that is a far cry from the mediocrity that stage shows of such stature are often flirting with. What it may never be able to connect with, due to no fault of its own, is that bond, those treasure trove of childhood memories that only a true fan can narrate to the backdrop of many an iconic song of the legend that has touched their lives.


The show itself is split into two acts, the first largely playing tribute to Jackson’s earlier work, while the latter fuses in that burst of adrenaline with classics such as ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough’, ‘They Don’t Care About Us’, as a sampler.

Cirque, which boasts a legendary fan base of its own, attempts to marry the mediums of pop music, moonwalking and death defying stunts in one massive stage performance. However, of three mentioned, the ‘Immortal Tour’ focuses mainly on the dance moves, which could disappoint some fans that lean towards a bit more flair for the dramatics.


Not that you can overlook the excellent choreography by the legend’s very own tour dancer, Jamie King himself, in the show, but the songs that ultimately do stand out are the ones that carry their own stamp of classic Cirque style with a hint of Jackson’s dramatics.

Frankly, the recall value of act one is overshadowed by two songs: the crisp dance moves of ‘Thriller’ itself, which are thankfully not tampered with considering the dance itself had taken on an iconic status of its own, and ‘Human Nature’s stunning choreography.


In fact, one of the best acts of the night, ‘Human Nature’ simply stuns with four dancers performing aerial acrobats, fitted in LED bodysuits that literally danced along with the people wearing them in a burst of stars and sparklers that left people awestruck.

One of act two’s breakthrough moments was the conceptualisation of ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’, where two artistes – depicted as black and white swans – emerge from a lake to perform an aerial ballet, suspended 15-odd feet up from the ground. The results are breathtaking.

The pace picks up as the show races towards its climax, with fans of Jackson delighted to know that the choreography of ‘They Don’t Really Care About Us’ is in fact a re enactment of the song that was commissioned for the final ‘This Is It’ Michael Jackson tour that fans were robbed off with the singer’s untimely demise.


Dancers in robotic suits, wearing LED breastplates, march on stage, as dancers hiding amidst the audience suddenly spring up holding glowing red hearts that reaches a crescendo with the powerful music from the legend himself.

The song cuts dramatically to an A/V of a young Michael during his Jackson 5 days, innocently singing ‘I’ll Be There’ before the crescendo builds up once again to the mash up of ‘Can You Feel It’, ‘Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough’, ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Black or White’.

While Jackson’s iconic white glove, his hat and those shoes getting a fitting tribute in the LED-infused ‘Billie Jean’, his ‘Black or White’ plays to the thundering sound of dancers bursting on to stage hoisting world flags to the words of ‘trust’ and ‘unity’.

As the lights dim once to the music of the ‘Man in the Mirror’, it is with a hint of sadness that Jackson will never be able to perform live for his fans ever again. But if you are a believer, then Cirque’s ‘Immortal Tour’ is the next best thing.



‘Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour’ by Cirque du Soleil will perform 21 Shows over 16 Days as a main event for the Dubai Shopping Festival 2014.

Organised by Duvent, a subsidiary of Meraas Leisure and Entertainment, the spectacle will continue from January 1-14 January 2014, a show that has been written and directed by Jamie King, which aims to spread Jackson’s global messages of love, peace and unity.

The show has already performed in 117 cities, across 26 countries that in its history, with the cast featuring 49 acrobats, musicians, singers and dancers (nine musicians, two singers, 18 acrobats, 20 dancers). Four of the 11 band members previously worked with the King of Pop himself, including Drummer Jonathan ‘Sugarfoot’ Moffett who played with Jackson and his brothers for over 35 years.

Tickets for the show start from Dh295.

All Images Courtesy Cirque Du Soleil