Peddie’s second Broadway trip of the year took place at the Neil Simon Theatre for the viewing of “MJ the Musical.” Directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, this jukebox musical follows “King of Pop” Michael Jackson and his major life events preceding his 1992 Dangerous World Tour. The musical introduces over 40 different songs over a 2 hour and 30-minute showtime, including fan favorites such as “Thriller,” “Billie Jean”  and “Smooth Criminal.” 

For Peddie students hoping to snag a ticket to the April 10 show, a lottery system was implemented that allowed over 100 students to attend. A waitlist for the musical was also created in the event of a sudden opening for a ticket. For the students lucky enough to secure a spot, proof of vaccination was required to attend the Broadway musical, alongside a mask mandate. 

The musical opened with a vibrant rendition of Jackson’s “Beat It,” and Chiwoo Ahn ’23 noted his love of “the guitar solo from the opening songs. [He] fell in love with the guitarist” and liked “the different Broadway adaptations of Jackson’s iconic songs.” Ahn seriously appreciated the instrumentals because of his involvement in the Peddie orchestra as a guitarist and musician. This sentiment was shared by many other Peddie students, who were greatly impressed at the insane visuals and performance put on by the entire cast. An anonymous sophomore student said that “Micahel Jackson was the best musical” they had seen as a music lover and included that “the stage effects were just epic.” 

Aside from the remarkable visuals of the show, Joel Bodon ’24 found that the storytelling of the musical was even more well done. He said that the show “didn’t just demonstrate [Jackson’s] greatest achievements, but his hardship through his childhood and fame.” 

Peddie’s weekend activity was a tremendous success and the musical proved exciting to Peddie students.