As Los Angeles prepares to honour Michael Jackson in a public memorial later tonight, the cast of Thriller Live at London’s Lyric theatre will pay its own tribute to the late King of Pop at this evening’s performance.
The theatre, which dimmed its lights in honour of the star on 26 June, the day after his death, will repeat that at 19:30 tonight. Inside the auditorium, the entire cast of the show is to gather on stage for a spoken tribute, before inviting the audience to stand and hold one minute’s silence. Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre, where the touring production of Thriller Live is currently playing, will hold a similar tribute.
A celebration of the music of Michael Jackson, Thriller Live is devised and choreographed by Adrian Grant, a long-term associate of Jackson’s, and features a cast of 20 who perform a selection of Jackson’s many hits, from his time with his brothers in the Jackson 5 to his immensely successful solo career which included the albums Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad and Dangerous.
Jackson was preparing for his 50-date This Is It comeback residency at the 02 arena in London before he suffered a heart attack at his Los Angeles home on 25 June. Since his death, floral tributes have been laid by UK fans outside the Lyric theatre and the 02. The public memorial at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles will be broadcast on BBC2 from 18:00 tonight.
CB