Returning for the second time to the stage of the Matthew Knight Arena, touring artist troupe Cirque du Soleil@@http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/welcome.aspx@@ will combine acrobatics, dance and, this time, the music of Michael Jackson for the Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour.
The tour makes a single-performance stop in Eugene on Tuesday, Nov. 15, and will feature the iconic songs and choreography of Michael Jackson as performed by the tour’s 65 artists, acrobats, musicians and singers.
“The show itself is … a hybrid between a traditional Cirque du Soleil show, an acrobatic performance and an opera concert,” tour publicist Maxime Charbonneau said. @@http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/27121239-41/cirque-nov-jackson-michael-tickets.html.csp@@”So, we kind of have the best of both worlds mixed together.”
Set in an imaginary realm, the story centers around Michael Jackson’s Giving Tree, the basis of all of his creativity and imagination that inspired his art, as well as his love for music and dance.
“Yes, there is a bit of a story … but people should just come and enjoy the show for what it is, for Michael’s greatness, for Michael’s voice, Michael’s songs and Michael’s heritage to the pop/rock world,” Charbonneau said.
Spanning the entirety of his life, audiences can expect to hear familiar songs such as “Thriller,” “Billie Jean” and “Smooth Criminal,” while also catching a few from The Jackson 5@@http://www.jackson5abc.com/@@ — and some that they may not be as familiar with.
Although all of the music is played by a 12-piece live band, the audience will still hear Jackson’s voice in every song: Cirque du Soleil was granted access to Michael Jackson’s music and is able to pair live performance with the prerecorded vocal tracks from the original songs.@@cool@@
By rehearsing with choreographers who worked with Jackson while he was alive, the artists on tour learned how to moonwalk and lean (as shown in the music video “Smooth Criminal”) in the same way that Jackson did to create a performance as authentic as possible when compared to the originals, Charbonneau said.
“They may be a little bit modified, but, you know, you don’t change ‘Thriller,’ you don’t change ‘Smooth Criminal,’” Charbonneau said of the choreography that audiences can expect.
The tour staffs choreographers, band members, a costume designer and a prop designer who previously worked with Jackson.
An idea originally meant as a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Michael Jackson himself, the performing troupe approached the Jackson estate with an idea for the show following the involuntary manslaughter of the entertainer.@@http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/08/local/la-me-conrad-murray-20111108@@
“Cirque, with the Jackson Estate, decided to partner together and create a tribute to his music, to his legacy, to who he really was,” Charbonneau said. “It was to let people know and understand what Michael Jackson was — both as an artist and as a human being.”
The performance will feature 30 full songs, plus an additional 20 pieces that are played throughout the show. “People will feel his presence through all of his best, amazing songs — songs that generations and generations grew up listening to,” he said.
Tickets for the Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson The Immortal Tour are available on the Cirque du Soleil website, the Matthew Knight Arena website as well as at the EMU ticket office. Tickets range from $50 to $250, and the show starts at 8 p.m.