Jacrobatics

Neelanthi Vadivel is in no doubt: Cirque du Soleil and Michael Jackson were meant to be together. As the artistic director of Cirque's latest arena touring behemoth, Michael Jackson: The Immortal, she is well placed to make the call. “Michael was a big fan of Cirque du Soleil,” she declares. “Who knows, if he was with us today he probably would have been in a partnership with Cirque making some magic happen.”

Part of that magic, as always, is the sheer scale and spectacle of Cirque's milieu. Replete with dance troupe, acrobats, live band, giant video screens and an eye-frying lightshow, The Immortal blends the trademark oomph of Cirque with the stadium size theatrics of MJ. According to Vadivel, “This show is just that next step up. You take all of the innovation and inspiration of Michael Jackson and take it into the air.”

As Quebec's biggest entertainment brand, size is most certainly important to Cirque du Soleil. From their street performer origins in the mid-'80s, the company has grown into a massive operation. “At one point in North America it was the biggest arena touring show in the world. But fortunately Cirque has a lot of experience doing this; y'know, managing the touring part of everything but still keeping the spectacle and massive weight of the show intact.”

Vadivel insists that the marriage of Michael Jackson and Cirque goes deeper than a reliance on spectacle. “Michael's driving mantra, especially later in life, were these messages that he wanted to impart. It wasn't only about creating beautiful music, it was imparting a very important message. When he says, 'look at yourself in the mirror and make a change' he was talking about his vision for a better world.” This gloves well with Cirque's own mission and consciously global flavour.

That said, The Immortal is not a soapbox show. Produced in partnership with Jackson's estate and family, the show is an extravaganza. As Vadivel explains, “The driving factor is Michael Jackson's voice. You hear him sing at least 35 of his hits and on top of that we layer a live band, half of whom worked with Michael himself. So they're the real deal; they worked on his albums, they toured with him. Add on top of that the video content and also a cast of dancers and acrobats recreating those classic moves and you've got this whole package. It's not a narrative but it's got a pacing and an energy that drives it.”

With Jackson's post-mortem popularity showing no signs of waning and Cirque's passion for powerhouse productions still strong, The Immortal will doubtless bedazzle and amaze Australian arena attendees. And all without mentioning Bubbles.

Dates:

Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne: Friday 11 October & Sunday 13 October
Adelaide Entertainment Centre: Tuesday 15 October, Wednesday 16 October & Thursday 17 October