Michael Jackson ONE doesn’t just use the late King of Pop’s music as the soundtrack for a typically dazzling, inventive showcase of acrobatics and dancing. The show is all about Jackson and a storyline inspired by his conflicted relationship with fame. Even before the show formally begins, performers dressed as paparazzi roam the theater in a playfully exaggerated imitation of the constant media attention that troubled Jackson throughout his life.
Although his struggles are an important element of the show, it’s primarily a celebration of the inspirational power of music. The four main characters discover their inner strength on a journey through Jackson’s catalog of hits, witnessing and participating in intricate numbers set to enduring classics like “Beat It,” “Bad,” “Black or White” and more, from Jackson’s childhood days in the Jackson 5 to his more eccentric late-career work.
Cirque du Soleil’s dancers re-create Jackson’s moves, including the moonwalk and the anti-gravity lean from the “Smooth Criminal” video. Zombies take to trampolines during “Thriller,” and dancers move in electric light outlines in the pitch dark during “Billie Jean.”
Mandalay Bay, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Thurs.-Mon. (dark Sept. 18-25), additional 9:30 p.m. show Sept. 17, starting at $69 plus tax and fee. 702.632.7580
