LAS VEGAS (AP) ― Michael Jackson spent his life breaking music industry records. Four years after his death, the pop star’s estate has delivered another first: Jackson is now the only person, place or thing to have inspired two Cirque du Soleil shows.
The Montreal-based acrobatic-theater company presented a sneak peak of its new Jackson tribute show, “One,’’ at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
The show shares many features with “Immortal,’’ another Cirque production that capitalizes on the enduring public fascination with the King of Pop.
In both, performers dance, somersault and glide above the crowd in dramatic riffs on Jackson’s number one hits.
But unlike “Immortal,’’ which is a touring show, “One’’ will have a permanent home in Vegas when it opens June 29. “Immortal’’ is scored by a live band, whereas “One’’ will feature original recordings.
Creative director Welby Altidor said he tried to channel Jackson’s famous knack for pushing boundaries.
“If Michael was an acrobat, how would he fly? How would he do the things Cirque du Soleil does?’’ he asked.
The 20-minute preview Tuesday looked like Cirque’s typical display of elaborately costumed, often airborne, attention deficit theater.
Each scene featured at least five separate points of action at any given time, with actors taking advantage of the full three-dimensionality of the space ― flying over the crowd, climbing ropes to the ceiling, and dancing off to the wings in ramps.
The show is not biographical, and no one directly portrays Jackson. Instead, it presents emotional, if fairly literal, takes on the pop star’s hits.
During the act set to “Stranger in Moscow,’’ a huddled figure wanders in the snow. Performers don bejeweled prison stripes for “Smooth Criminal.’’ And for “Bad,’’ they do tightrope tricks amid a scene of urban decay.
