Los Angeles: Michael Jackson fans will get more acrobatic dance moves, moon walks and pyrotechnics when Cirque du Soleil launches a new Las Vegas stage show based on the late King of Pop’s music.
Called ‘One’, the show will begin on June 29 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, the Canadian circus troupe said.
It will be the second official Jackson-related production by Cirque du Soleil, whose ‘The Immortal World Tour’ opened in 2011 in Montreal in collaboration with Jackson's estate before going on an international tour.
“Michael Jackson is an all-time phenomenal artist, both timeless and contemporary,” Daniel Lamarre, Cirque du Soleil president and CEO, said in a statement. “As a creative challenge, this project is the ultimate.”
Billed as a “theatrical evocation” of Jackson’s music, the production follows four misfits on a transformative journey in which they personify Jackson’s personality and world view of equality and unity.
The show is directed by Jamie King, who made his debut as a dancer in Jackson’s 1992-92 ‘Dangerous’ tour and also directed the troupe’s ‘Immortal’ show.
‘One’ choreographer Travis Payne, who served in the same position for the ‘Immortal’ tour, has also worked with Jackson.
Cirque du Soleil’s first Jackson show, which sets his music to high-flying aerialists, is currently on tour in Europe.
It was the sixth highest-grossing musical tour in 2012, according to trade publication Pollstar. The show grossed $140.2 million (Dh514.9 million) last year in 172 performances in 74 cities.
Jackson died in 2009 at age 50 from an overdose of the powerful anaesthetic propofol and sedatives.
