‘MJ,’ the Michael Jackson Musical, Holding Open Auditions in New Jersey

Singers and dancers who can embody Michael Jackson, this one is for you. The team behind the Tony-winning Broadway musical about Michael Jackson will hold open auditions in Newark at the end of the month, per NJ.com.

MJ The Musical producers Lia Vollack, John McClain, and John Branca are looking for actors to play two roles: MJ and "Little Michael." The musical is directed and choreographed by Tony winner Christopher Wheeldon. Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage wrote the book based on the musical. The musical first opened in 2022 at Neil Simon Theatre in New York.

MJ The Musical contains some of the King of Pop's hits such "Beat It," "Smooth Criminal," "Billie Jean," "Human Nature," "Black or White" and "Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'."

Myles Frost won a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Michael Jackson. He became the youngest individual actor to win a Tony in that category at 22. Currently, Elijah Johnson stars as Jackson in the Broadway show. The musical was nominated for 10 Tonys and took home the coveted trophy for Best Choreography, Lighting and Sound Design.

The national tour for MJ The Musical begins in August in Chicago. Next year, the musical will move to London’s Prince Edward Theatre in March, where Frost will reprise his role as the King of Pop.

The Newark audition will be Sunday, June 25 at NJPAC (1 Center St.) from 1 to 4 p.m. Actors are advised to prepare a Michael Jackson or Jackson 5 song for the audition. For audions via video, you are asked to email audition@mjthemusical.com for information on virtual submissions.