This Cirque du Soleil show celebrates the music and life of Michael Jackson through music, choreography, acrobatics, video clips, and special effects, notably the full-size hologram of the man.
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**Show schedules vary. Please see link for details.
(This show was reviewed in the November 2015 LVA; some of the information contained in this review may no longer be accurate.)
They stumbled with Elvis; they didn’t with Michael.
Michael Jackson One is an entertainment tour de force that ranks with the best shows we’ve ever seen in Las Vegas (and that's a lot of shows).
Packed with sights (lights, lasers, videos), sounds (more than 7,000 speakers, including in the seats), and the voice and images of the real MJ, this production hits the mark consistently throughout its full hour-and-a-half run time. If you’re a Michael Jackson devotee, this is an absolute no-brainer — you don’t just get “Billie Jean,” “Bad,” and “Thriller”; you get them on steroids! But even casual (or non) fans have to be wowed by the Cirque quotient, which injects, in abundant quantities, acrobats, aerialists, world-class choreography, and stunning tech effects.
For “Smooth Criminal,” dancers lean forward in unison to an impossible angle (thanks to special shoes). For “Dirty Diana,” an Amazonian guitaress shreds it with a live solo. And the jumping, bouncing, bungeeing zombies in “Thriller” are the best since the original video. But nothing matches the otherworldly hologram effect during “Man in the Mirror,” where an incredibly convincing image of MJ dances, interacts with the cast, explodes into tiny pieces, then reemerges again. If you haven’t been won over up to that point, you will be.
While a supremely talented cast and a loose storyline that doesn’t interrupt or distract can be credited with the cohesiveness of the presentation, the real star may be the stage. If you watch Cirque shows closely, you’ll realize the importance of the stages in each. Similar to O, the floor in ONE opens and closes as necessary to allow for effects and quick transitions, but it also magically morphs into a bouncy surface to accommodate some of the wild acrobatics and dance.
The only criticism we’ve heard is that there may be too much going on, but we don’t agree. It’s cool to switch back and forth between vintage videos on the walls and live trampolining on the stage, or to swivel away from the dancers to see what’s dropping from the sky near the back of the theater. However, it does have an impact on seating choice, as sitting at the front will necessitate lots of turning around to catch what’s going on behind you. If you have a choice or if price is a factor for you, keep in mind that being farther back is OK (though sitting too far to the side may obscure some of the wall video).
Only so much can be conveyed in a short review, but, yes, we loved it. If MJ ONE fits into the budget of your next trip, by all means pull the trigger.