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Thriller LIVE!

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

*****

Spectacular is a word bandied about quite a lot but Thriller Live certainly earned it.

There were at times 19 people plus band on stage at any one time plus some innovative special effects often doubled this up.

Special effects and lighting, in particular, never get mentioned but they should; they were amazing!

Plus, it was an interesting mixture of live performance and screens that presented some of the history including of Michael Jackson himself. (Lighting: Nigel Catmur and Special effects: The Twins FX Visual.) There was no implausible story linking songs together and I don’t know enough to be certain but there seemed to be a chronology about the choices. The two main singers (Britt Quintin and Bizzi Dixon) also acted as presenters of the history of Michael Jackson’s life.

Michael Jackson’s Thriller album was the best-selling album of all time and you can see why, although this included some material from earlier and later albums. Songs included early ones from the Jackson Five for example I Want You Back and ABC. Then there was Blame it on the Boogie, Can you Feel it, Beat it, Man in the Mirror, Earth Song, They Don’t Care about Us and to round off Smooth Criminal. The audience was on their feet 30 per cent of the time including the disabled cupboard.

It was also testament to not only the songs but also the performers. The Moon Walk was great tackled by Britt Quintin, a real triple threat as a performer, also Bizzi Dixon, a great voice, Rory Taylor who, in contrast, silenced the house with She’s Out of my Life; it was simply gorgeous. Adriana Louise as lead vocalist presented a range of songs with a great voice and presence.

The standard of performance was amazing and most of the vocalists were also involved in some exhilarating dance sequences. The dancers also appeared to add backing singing. It is worth looking up some the people involved in the show for their extraordinary talents – and a fitting tribute to Michael Jackson himself who always made it look so easy. If you are a fan of the King of Pop you’re probably already signed up, but if not, this was simply a great evening. Directed by Gary Lloyd, Thriller runs to 10-03-18

Jane Howard

06-03-18 

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