Brisbane’s season of MJ The Musical is entering its final week at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC, and if you haven’t secured your ticket yet, now is the time. The Olivier and four-time Tony Award-winning production closes on 24 May — and if the packed houses and electric atmosphere are anything to go by, this is one curtain call you don’t want to miss.
Leading the Brisbane season is Broadway sensation Ilario Grant, whose portrayal of Michael Jackson has been drawing standing ovations night after night. Grant brings an extraordinary depth to the role — raw, physical, and utterly consuming — following his celebrated run in Melbourne. Alongside him, Brisbane’s own Liam Damons returns home to play the young Michael, a homecoming that has clearly resonated with local audiences.
“Returning home to Brisbane with MJ is incredibly special. This city shaped me as a performer, and to share this role here, in front of a hometown audience, means everything.”
— Liam Damons
Set in 1992 against the backdrop of Michael Jackson’s iconic Dangerous World Tour, MJ is far more than a greatest hits concert. Written by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, the production invites audiences behind the curtain — into the rehearsal room, into the creative tensions, and into the complex inner world of one of music’s most enigmatic figures. The story unfolds through the eyes of an MTV journalist granted rare access, giving the narrative an intimacy that cuts deeper than any biography.
The production has been seen by over six million people worldwide, and it’s not hard to understand why. More than 25 of Jackson’s greatest hits — Beat It, Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror, Thriller — are woven into a theatrical experience that is equal parts spectacle and substance. The creative team is nothing short of extraordinary: choreography by Christopher Wheeldon OBE (Olivier Award winner), costumes by Paul Tazewell (Academy Award winner for Wicked), and sound design by Gareth Owen, who took home both a Tony and an Olivier for Come From Away.
The Brisbane cast is rounded out by original Broadway company member Oyoyo Joi as Katherine Jackson, Conlon Bonner in the dual roles of Tito Jackson and Quincy Jones, and Home and Away star Penny McNamee making a long-awaited return to the stage as MTV journalist Rachel. It is, in every sense, a production firing on all cylinders.
MJ The Musical plays at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC through to 24 May 2026. Tickets are available at mjthemusical.com.au or directly through QPAC.
