Cirque du Soleil To Stage Michael Jackson Show

After staging productions based on Elvis and the Beatles’ catalogs, Cirque du Soleil is set to take on the music of Michael Jackson. Late next year, the Montreal-based company will kick off a touring production based on the late King of Pop’s songs before setting up shop in Las Vegas starting in late 2012. “The entire catalog is open to us,” said Cirque du Soleil president Daniel Lamarre in an interview with MTV. “We don't know [which songs we’ll use] yet, but obviously all of the people will be looking for the big hits of Michael Jackson.”

While the plot details of the production have yet to be developed, Lamarre said that fans can expect some 3D or holographic iteration of Jackson to appear in the show. "If you are an MJ fan, you want to see him, and we have to find the best, most innovative way to bring Michael onstage," he said. Still, like Cirque’s Beatles tribute Love, the Jackson production will not be a straight-ahead biopic.

Cirque and Jackson’s estate will have joint control over the production, with both parties sharing the costs of producing it. In a statement, Jackson’s mother Katherine said, "Our family is thrilled that Cirque du Soleil will pay tribute to my son in such an important way."

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Song Stories

“Satisfied”

Tom Waits | 2011

Only the genius of Tom Waits could combine the subject of mortality, a reoccurring theme in his work, with wordplay that name checks both Mick and Keith, whom he calls "Mr. Jagger" and "Mr. Richards," and the title of their magnum opus, "Satisfaction." And to show just how cool Waits really is, he even got Mr. Richards to play along, one of nine guest appearances the guitarist has made on three Waits albums. "This growling roadhouse stomp is a late-breaking response to the Stones' greatest hit," Rolling Stone said of the track.

More Song Stories entries »

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