Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Heading To The Stage

NEW YORK — "Thriller" a Broadway musical?

Producer James L. Nederlander says he has acquired the rights for a stage version of Michael Jackson's iconic music-video spoof of horror films. The show will include songs from two of the pop king's best-selling albums, "Thriller" and "Off the Wall."

"The Nederlanders and Michael Jackson represent live theater and musical excellence, so let the music begin," Tohme Tohme, a spokesman for Jackson, said Monday in a statement.

"I love the idea of making 'Thriller' a musical. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, boy has big secret, now what?" said Nederlander, head of the company that owns nine Broadway theaters.

No word yet on who will write the book for the show or what songs will be included in the production, or who will direct and choreograph.

Comments

[MNmommy]

09:53 PM on 01/27/2009

Choreographer, Vince Paterson? Wade Robson?

Interesting premise.

[Jon Chattman]

10:46 AM on 01/27/2009

Take the kids!

[onalimb]

09:04 AM on 01/27/2009

Good move.
Should prove to be a breat show.
How handsome MJ was back in the day.

[LiberalBuzz]

02:00 AM on 01/27/2009

Done right, it will be a pretty good show.

Thriller is a great little piece of music history that was exceptionally well done and if it is done well, and I mean REALLLLLY well, it'll make money.

AND it MIGHT, just MIGHT be a chance for Michael to redeem himself somewhat.

I'd like to see STREETS OF FIRE done on Broadway too.

[PoliticalRockChick]

10:35 PM on 01/26/2009

OMG! No matter what people say, I will always love Michael to the day I die. I'm going to see if I can try out for the play.

[tangelan]

10:15 PM on 01/26/2009

Nicki, we are so going to NY to see this.

[hypnotoad72]

09:09 PM on 01/26/2009

Well, somebody made "Xanadu" into a broadway thing...

When will 'Pinocchio on Ice' get turned into a musical? And when I say "ice", I don't mean frozen water OR diamonds...

[prog]

08:28 PM on 01/26/2009

It will help support the Jackson lifestyle. Sell those assets!

[KatDawgATL]

06:40 PM on 01/26/2009

Totally depends on who's producing. (Legally Blonde, Westside Story)..... I still don't know.

[vincefango]

06:16 PM on 01/26/2009

Ah yes....$120 to see what will likely be the worst versions of these songs performed with a huge smile. It's a shame....these jukebox musicals are pathetic....so unoriginal. What's next, "Led Zeppelin: The Musical". Great albums or musicians don't justify a Broadway style musical. I refer to Broadway as Disney Street or The Great White Bread Way...boring and bland. Anyways...the only real comment I wanted to leave is....."LAME!"

[LitDr2B]

11:22 PM on 01/26/2009

LOL!!!!!!! I totally agree. It's getting really out of control.

While I have to admit that I vaguely enjoyed it, I was very disappointed that "Wicked" was made into a musical. And the author (Gregory Maguire) has said that's all it will be. The film to be released will be based on the musical. The book is very politically-dense. He wasted a great opportunity to have it made into a thoughtful film, rather than only in a tepid, hokey, watered down musical version.

[rikki52b]

08:12 AM on 01/27/2009

True, however it is all about putting fannies in those seats.

[TomInJax]

02:37 PM on 01/26/2009

Is it just me or does "Thriller" seem like self fulfilling prophecy after all these years. If Jacko doesn't look like the walking dead these days I don't know who does.

[Patricia84]

02:08 PM on 01/26/2009

Brilliant!

[Knowledgeseeker]

01:56 PM on 01/26/2009

sound like a good Idea to me