MJ The Musical
Summary
ACT ONE
19 Flashing Light Sequences
Approx. 5 minutes of flashing lights
ACT TWO
11 Flashing Light Sequences
Approx. 8 minutes & 18 seconds of flashing lights
ACT ONE
Scene: “Dangerous” Tour Rehearsals
Start time: 7 minutes & 6 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 2 seconds
Light Source: LED neon
Frequency: Single flash
Light Color: White flash
Prior Scene: End of the song “Beat It”, the company rehearses the song “Beat It”
Song: “Blame It On The Boogie”
Start time: 34 minutes after start of Act One
Duration: 7 seconds
Light Source: Overhead moving lights & LED neon
Frequency: 5 single flashes
Light Color: White flashes
Prior Scene: Jackson 5 in Baltimore singing “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough”
Flashing Scene: Jackson 5 appear onstage before singing “Blame It On The Boogie”
Song: “Dancing Machine”
Start time: 37 minutes & 29 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 15 seconds
Light Source: LED neon around all scenic portals
Frequency: LED neon chase effect
Light Color: White flashes
Prior Scene: MJ on soul train dancing the robot
Flashing Scene: All sing the chorus & dance the robot
Song: “Dancing Machine”
Start time: 38 minutes & 10 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 15 seconds
Light Source: Neons and projections
Frequency: Every 2 seconds, similar to turning on a TV
Light Color: Multi-Color flashes
Prior Scene: During “Dancing Machine”, MJ dances the robot and a video montage plays.
Song: “You Can’t Win”
Start time: 47 minutes & 30 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 22 seconds
Light Source: LED neon around all scenic portals, side of set
Light Color: Cyan/Orange flashes
Frequency: LED neon chase effect
Prior Scene: Song “You Can’t Win” with Berry Gordy, MJ, & ensemble
Flashing scene: Toward the end of “You Can’t Win”
Song: “You Can’t Win”
Start time: 47 minutes & 58 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 5 seconds
Light Source: Hundreds of small white strobes in entire set
Light Color: Cyan/Orange/Bright White flashes
Frequency: White star strobes & LD Neon chase effect, very fast
Prior Scene: Song “You Can’t Win” with Berry Gordy, MJ, & ensemble
Flashing scene: Final 5 seconds of the song
Song: “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”
Start time: 57 minutes & 23 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 23 seconds
Light Source: Rotating beacons toward the audience
Light Color: Tungsten white flashes
Frequency: 3 Hertz
Prior Scene: MJ & ensemble sing “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” at Studio 54
Flashing Scene: Midway through song during dance break
Scene: Grammy Podium
Start time: 58 minutes & 35 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 1.5 seconds
Light Source: Moving lights from overheads
Light Color: Light amber flashes
Frequency: 10 Hertz
Prior Scene: “Thriller” music video
Flashing scene: MJ standing at base of Grammy podium, strobes on ensemble
Scene: “Thriller” Music Video
Start time: 58 minutes & 39 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 0.5 seconds
Light Source: LED wall, bright white line flashes across
Light Color: White flashes
Prior Scene: MJ puts on “Thriller” jacket during “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”
Flashing scene: The bright white light is a transition into brief scene of MJ shooting the “Thriller” music video.
Scene: MJ wins the Grammy
Start time: 58 minutes & 52 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 8 seconds
Light Source: Hundreds of small strobes in entire set
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: White star strobes
Prior Scene: “The Grammy for the Best Pop Vocalist goes to…”
Flashing Scene: MJ wins the Grammy, set flickers
Song: “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”
Start time: 59 minutes & 16 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 38 seconds
Light Source: Sticks of Neon
Light Color: Amber flashes
Frequency: LED Neon Chase effect
Prior Scene: Lyrics “Lift your head up high and scream out to the world”; Ensemble is frozen while MJ has a duet
Flashing Scene: Lyrics “Mama Say Mama Sa Mama Coosa”
Scene: “Where’s Bubbles?”
Start time: 59 minutes & 16 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 2 seconds
Light Source: Moving lights & LED Neon
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 2 Hertz
Prior Scene: Press conference as “Earth Song” begins
Flashing Scene: Lights flash around the words “Where’s Bubbles?”
Scene: “Thriller” Album Celebration
Start time: 59 minutes & 38 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 1 second
Light Source: Lighting & video wall
Light Color: Multi-color flashes
Frequency: approx. 3 Hertz
Prior Scene: Later in the song “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”, MJ is awarded a Grammy.
Flashing Scene: “Thriller” Album celebration
Song: “They Don’t Care About Us”
Start time: 1 hour & 6 minutes & 30 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 19 seconds
Light Source: Overhead back & side lights
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 2 Hertz
Prior Scene: Press conference as “Earth Song” begins
Flashing Scene: Start of the song “They Don’t Care About Us” as reporters dance
Note: Photosensitive warning for entire final number of Act One
Song: “They Don’t Care About Us”
Start time: 1 hour & 7 minutes & 16 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 4 seconds
Light Source: Star strobes & video static
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 5 Hertz
Prior Scene: First chorus of “They Don’t Care About Us”
Flashing Scene: Loud guitar riff
Lyrics: “He Wouldn’t Let This Be”
Start time: 1 hour & 7 minutes & 48 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 2 seconds
Light Source: Overhead back & side lights
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 2 Hertz
Prior Scene: MJ centerstage sings “…’Cause if Roosevelt was living”
Flashing Scene: MJ is on a table, sings “He wouldn’t let this be”
Lyrics: “Skinhead, deadhead”
Start time: 1 hour & 7 minutes & 52 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 25 seconds
Light Source: Overhead back & side lights with color changes
Light Color: White & multi-color flashes
Prior Scene: Immediately follows previous flashing scene
Flashing Scene: Beginning with lyrics “Skinhead, deadhead” following the dance break
Scene: MJ Screams
Start time: 1 hour & 8 minutes & 18 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 7 seconds
Light Source: Star strobes & neons with red video content
Light Color: White & yellow flashes
Frequency: 10 Hertz
Prior Scene: Immediately follows previous flashing scene
Flashing Scene: MJ screams in the middle of dance break
Scene: End of “They Don’t Really Care About Us”
Start time: 1 hour & 9 minutes & 7 seconds after start of Act One
Duration: 13 seconds
Light Source: Star strobes & neons with red video content
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 10 Hertz
Prior Scene: Repeating “All I wanna say is they don’t really care about us” with projection of earth
Flashing Scene: End of the song “They Don’t Really Care About Us”, frenzy of screams and guitars
ACT TWO
Song: “Billy Jean”
Start time: less than 2 minutes after start of Act Two
Duration: 1 minute & 37 seconds
Light Source: Star strobes & neon with red video content
Light Color: White, blue, & pink flashes
Frequency: Chasing neon
Prior Scene: MJ puts on hat & glove, asks for a “smooth groove”
Flashing Scene: song “Billy Jean”
Song: “Smooth Criminal”
Start time: 9 minutes & 2 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: 3 seconds
Light Source: Sidelights on ensemble, similar to police car
Light Color: Red, white, & blue flashes
Frequency: 10 Hertz
Prior Scene: Ensemble performs “Way you make me feel”, ends in red backlight & police sirens
Flashing Scene: Song “Smooth Criminal” begins, flashing throughout the song timed with the music. Police car chase effect on ensemble at centerstage.
Scene: Jackson 5 Press Conference
Start time: 15 minutes & 2 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: 18 seconds
Light Source: Reporter flash photo effect
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 6 Hertz, random
Prior Scene: Jackson family tries to convince MJ to go on tour, singing “For the Love of Money”
Flashing Scene: Press conference with Jackson 5 at center table
Scene: Pepsi Pyrotechnic Accident
Start time: 15 minutes & 43 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: 8 seconds
Light Source: Video explosion & police car
Light Color: White, blue, & red flashes
Prior Scene: MJ stands on table as if filming the Pepsi commercial
Flashing Scene: The Pepsi pyrotechnic accident uses video content and flashing red & blue lights
Song: “Can You Feel It”
Start time: 16 minutes & 25 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: 1 minute & 6 seconds
Light Source: Overhead moving lights chase
Light Color: Yellow, cyan, magenta flashes
Frequency: Beat of the song, like 80’s rock concert
Prior Scene: The doctor prescribes MJ pain pills
Flashing Scene: Victory Tour has colored flashing moving lights throughout the song “Can You Feel It”
Scene: “Fall Into Step With The Rest of Us”
Start time: 42 minutes & 44 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: 5 seconds
Light Source: Neon lights
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 4 Hertz
Prior Scene: While singing “Too Bad”, ensemble surround MJ
Flashing Scene: Strobes after ensemble shout “Fall into step with the rest of us” & MJ screams
Scene: “Thriller” Zombies
Start time: 48 minutes & 55 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: 15 seconds
Light Source: Sidelight pulses & Tungsten Carnival lightbulbs
Light Color: Red & Tungsten white flashes
Frequency: Double pulses every 8 counts
Prior Scene: “Thriller” begins & zombies enter
Flashing Scene: Strobes after ensemble shout “Fall into step with the rest of us” & MJ screams
Scene: “Fall Into Step With The Rest of Us”
Start time: 42 minutes & 44 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: 5 seconds
Light Source: Neon lights
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 4 Hertz
Prior Scene: While singing “Too Bad”, ensemble surround MJ
Flashing Scene: Zombies surround MJ as the Carnival Barker summons him
Scene: Dance Break
Start time: 49 minutes & 29 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: 17 seconds
Light Source: Sidelights
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 4 Hertz
Prior Scene: MJ and ensemble are gathered in a clump
Flashing Scene: Cast spreads out full stage for the dance break, random strobing on cast
Lyrics: “No Mere Mortal Can Resist”
Start time: 51 minutes & 25 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: 2 seconds
Light Source: Moving lights from the front on Black Kabuki curtain
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 10 Hertz
Prior Scene: Zombies & MJ in a line, a black silk Kabuki curtain drops
Flashing Scene: Voiceover says “No mere mortal can resist the evil of the thriller”, strobes similar to lightning occur
Scene: MJ Pops Up
Start time: 57 minutes & 33 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: 27 seconds
Light Source: Hundreds of small white strobes in entire set
Light Color: White flashes
Frequency: 10 Hertz
Prior Scene: After the song “Man in the Mirror”, the stage is empty & the crowd chants “Michael, Michael”
Flashing Scene: MJ pops up out of the floor on a toast lift as hundreds of strobes flash. The sequence ends with a blinding white flash and blackout.
Scene: Finale & Song “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”
Start time: 58 minutes & 38 seconds after start of Act Two
Duration: Approx. 4 minutes
Light Source: Neon lights, Moving lights, & Star strobe flash
Light Color: Multi-color flashes
Prior Scene: MJ & company bow. MJ takes a bow down stage.
Flashing Scene: During the Finale, 3 songs are performed with lighting chases, hits, flashes. The last seconds of the songs “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”, all lights flash.