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Johannesburg - Producer Johnny Van Grinsven and musical director Richard Baker have put together a show that aims to recreate Jackson’s This Is It tour, which never happened due to his untimely death in 2009
The show, called History - This Is It, will be at the Joburg Theatre on Wednesday.
Still photos
The show stars Kenny Wizz, who is billed as the world’s foremost Michael Jackson impersonator. Wizz has been impersonating Jackson for more than a quarter of a century and it all started on the streets of Los Angeles, where he grew up.
A self-taught street dancer, all sorts of people started telling him how much he resembled the King of Pop and how he should start looking for work as an impersonator.
“I’ve never been trained as a dancer. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned by myself. When I -started out, there was no YouTube or anything. I had to look at still photos. I would study the photo and decide how Michael had got to that point.”
He was the best
Wizz, who starred in a show called Splash on the Las Vegas strip for 11 years, got the job as Michael Jackson in this recreation of what would have been his This Is It concert because, according to producer Johnny Van Grinsven, he’s got that the X factor.
“I spent two years travelling the world looking for Michael Jackson. Before Jackson died, I was looking for an impersonator to take part in a Legends-type show, but after his death, I realised that what people wanted was to see the concert he never got to do,” says Van Grinsven.
After travelling from India to the Philippines and on to England, Van Grinsven found Wizz in Las Vegas. He was the second-last Michael Jackson he saw, and he was the best.
Big task
The show’s musical director, Richard Baker, has pulled together a variety of musicians which include local lad Dale Scheepers (who plays the keyboard and sings all the Jermaine Jackson parts), Nigerian percussionist Johnson Toyin, Scottish drummer David Gray, Kiwi guitarist Tony Cowell, Englishwoman Mary Anne Radcliffe on guitar, Canadian keyboardist Giles Tingey and Baker himself, who is Australian.
Baker has worked with Van Grinsven for several years, creating shows such as Hannah & Miley: The Best of Both Girls’ Shows, The Eagles Experience and the upcoming Simply The Best.
History - This Is It will make its debut in Joburg before setting off on a two-year world tour that will take the company from Sydney to Las Vegas.
Van Grinsven says he chose to debut the show here because of the Joburg Theatre, which has great staff and facilities.
History - This Is It will run at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at the Joburg Theatre complex in Braamfontein from January 19 to February 12. Book at Computicket.
The show, called History - This Is It, will be at the Joburg Theatre on Wednesday.
Still photos
The show stars Kenny Wizz, who is billed as the world’s foremost Michael Jackson impersonator. Wizz has been impersonating Jackson for more than a quarter of a century and it all started on the streets of Los Angeles, where he grew up.
A self-taught street dancer, all sorts of people started telling him how much he resembled the King of Pop and how he should start looking for work as an impersonator.
“I’ve never been trained as a dancer. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned by myself. When I -started out, there was no YouTube or anything. I had to look at still photos. I would study the photo and decide how Michael had got to that point.”
He was the best
Wizz, who starred in a show called Splash on the Las Vegas strip for 11 years, got the job as Michael Jackson in this recreation of what would have been his This Is It concert because, according to producer Johnny Van Grinsven, he’s got that the X factor.
“I spent two years travelling the world looking for Michael Jackson. Before Jackson died, I was looking for an impersonator to take part in a Legends-type show, but after his death, I realised that what people wanted was to see the concert he never got to do,” says Van Grinsven.
After travelling from India to the Philippines and on to England, Van Grinsven found Wizz in Las Vegas. He was the second-last Michael Jackson he saw, and he was the best.
Big task
The show’s musical director, Richard Baker, has pulled together a variety of musicians which include local lad Dale Scheepers (who plays the keyboard and sings all the Jermaine Jackson parts), Nigerian percussionist Johnson Toyin, Scottish drummer David Gray, Kiwi guitarist Tony Cowell, Englishwoman Mary Anne Radcliffe on guitar, Canadian keyboardist Giles Tingey and Baker himself, who is Australian.
Baker has worked with Van Grinsven for several years, creating shows such as Hannah & Miley: The Best of Both Girls’ Shows, The Eagles Experience and the upcoming Simply The Best.
History - This Is It will make its debut in Joburg before setting off on a two-year world tour that will take the company from Sydney to Las Vegas.
Van Grinsven says he chose to debut the show here because of the Joburg Theatre, which has great staff and facilities.
History - This Is It will run at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at the Joburg Theatre complex in Braamfontein from January 19 to February 12. Book at Computicket.
