An upcoming theatrical project based on the life of Michael Jackson has an interesting twist.
The Hollywood Reporter details that a Los Angeles production of a puppet-based stage show will address Jackson’s child sex abuse allegations. It will use those allegations as the central point of a wild plot involving an alien glove.
The production, For the Love of a Glove, was written by filmmaker and playwright Julien Nitzberg and focuses on aliens shaped like glittering gloves that descend upon Gary, Indiana, Jackson’s hometown. As Nitzberg told the outlet, the gloves “can give people magical musical talent if it drinks their blood and has part of their body inside of it. But it can only feed on virgin boy blood.” As the plot goes, one of the gloves affixes itself to Jackson, who realizes that he’ll have to start luring boys home in order to feed the gloves.
Actor and comedian Jerry Minor will perform as glove THRIL-LHA and Eric B. Anthony will perform as young Michael Jackson, via puppeteering. Other characters will include the Jackson 5, Emmanuel Lewis, Corey Feldman, Donny Osmond and Bubbles the Chimp.
The musical has been described by Nitzberg as a “layered look” at Jackson’s life, “including themes of racism, religious oppression…cultural appropriation” as well as a rumored rivalry with Osmond, who was accused of copying Jackson’s photoshoots and costumes. As alluded above, the production will also feature puppets–puppets similar to the Bunraku puppets from Japan, to be exact–and will also include 20 original songs, instead of using songs from Jackson’s catalog.
Many Jackson fans may wonder why this musical is happening. According to what Nitzberg told The Hollywood Reporter, he developed the idea 17 years ago after he was asked by an unnamed TV network to write a biopic about Jackson. However, he didn’t want to write a version that didn’t include the child abuse allegations, so he and the network never came to a deal. This led to him creating this version for the stage, in which he could address the allegations via alien gloves.
However, Nitzberg doesn’t want to take part in the movement to cancel Jackson’s legacy. “We should be in ‘process culture,’ where we process how f***** up people are and understand what made them that way,” he said to the outlet. “I think there’s a collective trauma of everyone who grew up as a Jackson 5 fan and a Michael fan. This is a way to process that in a fun way while helping people understand all of the really f***** up stuff that affected Michael’s life.”
Similar to the documentary Leaving Neverland, this unique production is likely to divide fans. But maybe the stage production isn’t as out-of-bounds as it sounds. If it can help its audience process Jackson’s career and personal life, then maybe it has some merit. As it currently stands, it is certainly a show that will grab people’s attention, for better or worse.
The stage production also isn’t the only upcoming project that aims to tackle the sex abuse allegations against Jackson. As reported in November, Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King is producing a film that has been signed off on by the Jackson family estate. The film is reported to address the allegations that followed Jackson throughout his adult career.
READ MORE:
Michael Jackson’s Estate Signs Off On New Biopic From ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Producer
Photo: Getty Images
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