THRILLER LIVE REVIEW
Why Thriller - Live is more than just a musical concert
When the producers of Thriller - Live brought their show to the West End's Lyric Theatre in January 2009, they expected that it would be popular.
A jukebox musical celebrating the smash hits of megastar Michael Jackson, they felt it was sure to be a hit among his fans, most of whom had been following him since his days in The Jackson 5.
However, following Jackson's untimely death in June the same year, those behind Thriller - Live found that the show was evolving into a memorial to the singer and it has since become one of London's most moving and exciting theatre productions.
Creator Adrian Grant told the Northern Echo in May 2009 that he got the idea for Thriller - Live after running a fan magazine based on Jackson since the 1980s and holding a meeting upon its tenth anniversary.
"We had over 3,000 people there and it came into my mind that it would make a stage show in its own right," he explained.
Eventually, the musical was born, featuring songs like Billie Jean, Man in the Mirror and Beat It, and audiences loved it.
Jackson himself even sent a message of congratulations after its launch.
"We've had people as young as five and as old as 70 dancing in the aisles," Mr Grant said.
After June 2009, the atmosphere at the show in London became more sombre, but fans still flocked to see it and to sign a book of condolence in the Lyric Theatre's lobby, which turned into a shrine.
However, as the shock following Jackson's death dissipated and the wave of sudden sadness passed, a joyful atmosphere returned to the London theatre as people realised they should celebrate what the King of Pop brought to music and what a lasting legacy he will leave.
Ben Brantley of the New York Times called Thriller - Live a "sing-a-thon" and urged everyone to see it, while Michael Coveney from WhatsonStage.com said: "There's not a song you don't want to bask in as they roll off the stage in this wonderful show.."
Whether you were a die-hard Jackson fan or not, you're sure to be singing and dancing along by the finale if you buy Thriller - Live tickets