How Roman Banks became Michael Jackson for ‘MJ The Musical’

The star of ‘MJ the Musical’, which has just arrived in Sydney, has opened up about the gruelling process of becoming Michael Jackson.

Roman Banks has one of the toughest gigs in showbiz.

The 26-year-old from Atlanta has the lead role in MJ The Musical, meaning he has to bring Michael Jackson to life on stage every single night.

After sellout seasons in the US and UK, Banks and his co-stars are bringing the Tony award-winning show to Sydney’s Lyric Theatre later this month, and he has a message for Aussies who are planning to buy tickets … “Come with the readiness to experience radical joy!”

If you’re not familiar with MJ The Musical, it’s a jukebox musical centred around the making of the legendary performer’s 1992 Dangerous World Tour.

The premise is that a journalist and her cameraman are invited to document the rehearsal process, and through her interviews the audience sees flashbacks to Jackson’s childhood and into his imagination.

The role requires Banks to not only sing some of Jackson’s biggest hits, but also perform many of his iconic dance routines.

He rehearsed for a full year before taking to the stage for his first performance in August 2023.

“I didn’t have any formal training in dance … so it takes a while to really get that (movement) into your body,” Banks told news.com.au.

“Even so, I don’t think I really found my stride until maybe six months into the role … but there’s still stuff I’m working on every single day.”

Roman Banks as Michael Jackson in MJ The Musical. Picture: Matthew Murphy

Banks said he regularly watches videos of Jackson’s 1987 concert from Yokohama and his 1998 gig at Wembley to remain connected to the legendary entertainer.

“I use it less as ‘I need to look like this’ and I use it more as ‘this is where my energy needs to be when I step onto the stage,’” he said. “Because that’s what was the most magical part about him. He walks in a room very humbly … and then he goes on stage and then there’s just this almost exotic animalistic energy that he exudes and it’s very well captured in those two performances.”

Banks has received rave reviews for his portrayal of the King of Pop, including from Jackson’s 28-year-old son, Prince, who was a big part of the show’s conception.

He’s also performed in front of Jennifer Hudson, Common, Angela Bassett and Berry Gordy.

“Beyonce’s mum came like 10 times,” Banks told news.com.au. “She brought a lot of young women from a foundation that she supports. She actually lost her phone one night and they opened the theatre back up because they were like, ‘Mrs. Knowles can’t find her phone’ … that was really funny.”

Roman Banks. Picture: Matthew Murphy

Picture: Matthew Murphy

Banks said he and the rest of the cast are beyond excited to be bringing MJ The Musical to Sydney, promising Aussies a night full of showstopping moments.

“No spoilers, but I think Act Two’s big finale has a lot of people kind of rattled to their core,” he teased. “But I think also when we get the chance to do Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, that literally has stopped the show.

“The cool part about doing the show is that it’s like a concert,” he said. “There’s gonna be moments where you feel like, ‘oh my god, I just want to keep clapping, that was amazing!’ … but we have to keep going,” he laughed.

MJ The Musical will premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre from February, 2025 with tickets on sale now at mjthemusical.com.au.

Originally published as How Roman Banks became Michael Jackson for ‘MJ The Musical’