Las Vegas Weekly

January 28, 2009 · 8:47 AM

Michael Jackson gets OK from Nederlander to turn Thriller into Broadway musical

By Robin Leach

Michael Jackson celebrated his 50th birthday at Planet Hollywood in Caesars Palace on Aug. 29, 2008.

Photo: Denise Truscello

King of Pop Michael Jackson, who bounces between homes here in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, might be headed to New York! It’s now official that his 1982 smash album Thriller will be turned into a musical theater production by the Nederlander Organization, who have acquired the rights.

Thriller: the Musical will include Michael’s songs from the biggest-selling album in history and his 1979 hit album Off the Wall. Executives for Nederlander said the theater production would re-create the tale of the 14-minute horror movie spoof that was based on Michael’s title song.

In the video, Michael played a young boy who became a werewolf complete with a cameo from the late veteran horror actor Vincent Price and a cast of dancing zombies. Film director John Landis shot the music video, which back in 1983 cost more than $500,000, 10 times the cost of a music video back then!

A statement from Nederlander confirmed by Michael Jackson’s spokesman Tohme Tohme said: “The musical will be the exclusive Michael Jackson-authorized version of Thriller, and Michael will participate in every aspect of the creative process.”

Michael, 50, had been rumored to be looking for a Vegas showroom or a London arena for his comeback concerts. There’s no word as to when or where Thriller would debut, but the Nederlanders are prominent and leading Broadway theater operators.

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