This one is sure to be a thriller.
You may never be able to sing with the King of Pop, but if you wanna be startin’ somethin’ you can star in a musical full of his hits at “The Michael Jackson Jukebox Musical: A Hastily Written Masterpiece Starring the Audience” at Cameo Gallery on March 10. The show promises to be an off-the-wall mish-mash of Jackson tunes and audience participation, where viewers get a chance to get on the floor and burn that disco out.
“We wanted to create a piece that engaged people and also kind of felt like a party,” said organizer and Lefferts Garden resident Jo Firestone.
Firestone and fellow Upright Citizens Brigade comedians Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson have written the script, and will take audience volunteers to act and sing. Firestone said they aren’t exactly workin’ day and night on the plot — it is more a vehicle for song.
“It’s a very shoestring plot,” Firestone said. “There are mermaids and a dead cat that comes back to life in every scene.”
To make things easier, the lyrics are projected on a screen, and you don’t have to worry about being somebody’s fool, because participation is not mandatory.
“We never pull up anybody who doesn’t want to go up there,” Firestone said. “Most people just dance and sing along. It can feel pretty anonymous if you want.”
Don’t expect it all to be bad karaoke, either. At a past “Jukebox Musical,” one audience member turned out to be a Broadway singer, who belted Beyonce’s “Halo’ and put on the greatest show on Earth, Firestone said.
And if you like the way it makes you feel, you don’t have to stop ’til you get enough — Firestone and crew put on a similar show at Cameo Gallery every other month.
May’s jukebox might be one step down the royal succession, Firestone revealed.
“We’re pretty sure it’s going to be Prince,” she said.
“The Michael Jackson Jukebox Musical: A Hastily Written Masterpiece Starring the Audience” at Cameo Gallery [93 N. Sixth St. between Berry Street and Wythe Avenue, (718) 302–1180, www.cameony.com]. March 10 at 8 pm. $10.
