Close MJ The Musical! Stop Glorifying Child Abusers!
Close MJ The Musical! Stop Glorifying Child Abusers!
The Issue
On February 1, 2022, a musical about Michael Jackson opened on Broadway. A musical about a known child abuser exists without any mention of the abuse in the script, as confirmed by both audience members and news outlets reporting on the musical.
MJ The Musical takes place in 1992, during a day in Jackson’s rehearsal studio for the Dangerous Tour.
The writer and director stated in an interview with The New York Times that they “see the artwork [they’re] making as a way to more deeply understand Jackson” yet they don’t address the abuse occurring during that time.
The first allegation of sexual abuse made against Jackson was in 1993. The writers and Jackson estate avoid mention of the first allegation against Jackson, using the timeline as an excuse for their conscious & strategic choices–both made in an attempt to silence the victim’s truths.
The existence of this show attempts to erase the damage he has done, prioritizing greed and the desire to rewrite history over the lived realities of his victims.
Michael Jackson changed the world of pop music, of dance, of fashion.
He was a prominent figure in the Black community.
He was a father, a son, a friend.
And:
He sexually abused children for many years.
There was a time when we could feign ignorance while still lauding his achievements, but we now know too much about what he has done to ignore it. The writer and director’s refusals to address this reality under the guise of creative license erases the hurt Jackson has caused.
We cannot set the knowledge aside in order for the sake of entertainment.
We’re allowed to acknowledge how significant Jackson’s contributions were to society, and we have to acknowledge that the significant contributions were created by a disturbed individual.
"There is a very large cloud over large portions of Michael Jackson's life," said Caseen Gaines, cultural historian and theater director whose recent book, "Footnotes," deals with the history of Broadway's first Black musical hit, 1921's "Shuffle Along."
"There are people who are able to divorce the art from the artist," Gaines said. "I don't know if I'm one of those people. For me, credible allegations against an artist tend to really sully my enjoyment of their work. Particularly when their work is so wrapped up in who they were as people. Woody Allen comes to mind. Bill Cosby comes to mind. Their position of power in their given industry was due to their art, and led directly to the actions they were accused of. I will be skipping 'MJ: The Musical.' "
Broadway should be a safe place, and the existence of this musical glorifies an abuser. How could anyone agree to produce a musical about an abuser knowing the fact that one out of six American women and one in 33 American men has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime? Of victims under the age of 18: 34% of victims of sexual assault and rape are under age 12, and 66% of victims of sexual assault and rape are age 12-17.
In the 2018-2019 season alone, Broadway shows welcomed 14.8 million admissions–an all-time high. This means that every person who has greenlit and participated in this musical’s production has prioritized money and the Jackson estate’s desire to rewrite history over the lived experiences of nearly 300,000 men and women (~295,600).
The existence of this musical on Broadway only functions to silence survivors in an attempt to rewrite the narrative of Jackson’s life, the truth of which survivors have risked their lives to tell.
This production makes survivors no longer feel safe in the Broadway community and, if Broadway actually cared about their community, they wouldn’t have approved a show about a man who abused children.
Our goal is to close MJ The Musical and stop performances.
This show wasn’t made for the sake of art: it was made because it would attract tourists and to make money.
Its creation is paid PR by The Jackson estate to create positive press for Jackson, thus silencing the survivors of his abuse. The Jackson estate who is paying for the show is the same estate who fought the allegations in court. They are not interested in “exploring” who Jackson was: they are interested in making money and have no regard for the survivors of his abuse. Erasing his abuse erases the stories of all survivors.
What you can do:
- Sign this petition
- Boycott the Show (don't go see it)
- Spread the word
STOP SILENCING VICTIMS
STOP GLORIFYING ABUSERS
STOP MJ THE MUSICAL
@stop.mjthemusical
follow us on instagram and twitter for updates!
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/theater/michael-jackson-musical-lynn-nottage.html
44
The Issue
On February 1, 2022, a musical about Michael Jackson opened on Broadway. A musical about a known child abuser exists without any mention of the abuse in the script, as confirmed by both audience members and news outlets reporting on the musical.
MJ The Musical takes place in 1992, during a day in Jackson’s rehearsal studio for the Dangerous Tour.
The writer and director stated in an interview with The New York Times that they “see the artwork [they’re] making as a way to more deeply understand Jackson” yet they don’t address the abuse occurring during that time.
The first allegation of sexual abuse made against Jackson was in 1993. The writers and Jackson estate avoid mention of the first allegation against Jackson, using the timeline as an excuse for their conscious & strategic choices–both made in an attempt to silence the victim’s truths.
The existence of this show attempts to erase the damage he has done, prioritizing greed and the desire to rewrite history over the lived realities of his victims.
Michael Jackson changed the world of pop music, of dance, of fashion.
He was a prominent figure in the Black community.
He was a father, a son, a friend.
And:
He sexually abused children for many years.
There was a time when we could feign ignorance while still lauding his achievements, but we now know too much about what he has done to ignore it. The writer and director’s refusals to address this reality under the guise of creative license erases the hurt Jackson has caused.
We cannot set the knowledge aside in order for the sake of entertainment.
We’re allowed to acknowledge how significant Jackson’s contributions were to society, and we have to acknowledge that the significant contributions were created by a disturbed individual.
"There is a very large cloud over large portions of Michael Jackson's life," said Caseen Gaines, cultural historian and theater director whose recent book, "Footnotes," deals with the history of Broadway's first Black musical hit, 1921's "Shuffle Along."
"There are people who are able to divorce the art from the artist," Gaines said. "I don't know if I'm one of those people. For me, credible allegations against an artist tend to really sully my enjoyment of their work. Particularly when their work is so wrapped up in who they were as people. Woody Allen comes to mind. Bill Cosby comes to mind. Their position of power in their given industry was due to their art, and led directly to the actions they were accused of. I will be skipping 'MJ: The Musical.' "
Broadway should be a safe place, and the existence of this musical glorifies an abuser. How could anyone agree to produce a musical about an abuser knowing the fact that one out of six American women and one in 33 American men has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime? Of victims under the age of 18: 34% of victims of sexual assault and rape are under age 12, and 66% of victims of sexual assault and rape are age 12-17.
In the 2018-2019 season alone, Broadway shows welcomed 14.8 million admissions–an all-time high. This means that every person who has greenlit and participated in this musical’s production has prioritized money and the Jackson estate’s desire to rewrite history over the lived experiences of nearly 300,000 men and women (~295,600).
The existence of this musical on Broadway only functions to silence survivors in an attempt to rewrite the narrative of Jackson’s life, the truth of which survivors have risked their lives to tell.
This production makes survivors no longer feel safe in the Broadway community and, if Broadway actually cared about their community, they wouldn’t have approved a show about a man who abused children.
Our goal is to close MJ The Musical and stop performances.
This show wasn’t made for the sake of art: it was made because it would attract tourists and to make money.
Its creation is paid PR by The Jackson estate to create positive press for Jackson, thus silencing the survivors of his abuse. The Jackson estate who is paying for the show is the same estate who fought the allegations in court. They are not interested in “exploring” who Jackson was: they are interested in making money and have no regard for the survivors of his abuse. Erasing his abuse erases the stories of all survivors.
What you can do:
- Sign this petition
- Boycott the Show (don't go see it)
- Spread the word
STOP SILENCING VICTIMS
STOP GLORIFYING ABUSERS
STOP MJ THE MUSICAL
@stop.mjthemusical
follow us on instagram and twitter for updates!
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/theater/michael-jackson-musical-lynn-nottage.html
44
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on January 27, 2022