THRILLER LIVE moonwalks into it's 6th year in London's West End
THRILLER LIVE
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| Kieran Alleyne with current young MJ Eshan Gopal Photo Irina Chira |
Lyric Theatre
The West End’s first MJ, Kieran Alleyne, returned to the show for one night only last night as Thriller- Live enters its record-breaking 6th year at the Lyric Theatre.
Kieran Alleyne was a shy 13-year-old Leicester schoolboy with no formal acting training when he was chosen in an open audition from thousands of young hopefuls for a starring role in the West End, singing the songs of the young Michael Jackson in Thriller - Live.
Opening night in 2009 was a glittering celebrity premiere, with an audience packed with major pop and rock stars and even Michael Jackson’s eldest brother, Tito Jackson in attendance. Kieran was a sensation, won rave reviews from the critics and he then went on to wow audiences for a further two years, touring the world with the hit show and he even appeared in a massive arena version, performing before tens of thousands.
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| Kieran Alleyne 5 years ago in Thriller - Live |
Last night Kieran headed back to the West End to appear in Thriller - Live again - this time for one night only - to celebrate the show’s record-breaking 6th year at the Lyric Theatre, where it holds the record as the longest ever run in the theatre’s 125-year history having completed over 2,000 performances.
Now aged 18 and dubbed a young British Chris Brown, Kieran is forging a new music career as a rising R&B/pop recording artist creating an exciting buzz in both the UK and US. His song Atmosphere was selected by Radio 1 for airplay by Nick Grimshaw, Greg James and Scott Mills and he has been working closely with prominent urban music executive, Max Gousse, under his new label Artistry Worldwide Entertainment, distributed through the UK division of VIRGIN/EMI. Gousse has discovered and worked with some of the top artists in the business like Beyonce, YG, Ron Isley and Ty $. Kieran caught Gousse's attention through his YouTube channel, where the singer was able to create a massive fan base and collect more than 400,000 YouTube views of his original content and covers of his favorite songs. He also recently became a style ambassador for Adidas Neo, along with Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.
Gary Lloyd, Thriller-Live’s award-winning director and choreographer, said: “Kieran was a wonderful discovery when he turned up on a freezing cold morning at our West End open call auditions. In 2008 we were literally seeing hundreds of youngsters, many with experience in musicals like The Lion King, Oliver! and Billy Elliott. But Kieran immediately stood out from the crowd. He had a pure sound and great stage presence despite his lack of formal training - holding centre stage alone in front of almost 1,000 people a night didn’t seem to faze him at all. He obviously loved Michael Jackson and his music and performing and was always trying to perfect new moves and hone his vocals backstage. I am delighted that he’s forging a new career as a successful recording artist and to welcome him back to the Thriller - Live family now singing as the adult MJ.”
Featuring more than 30 musical hits by Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5, Thriller - Live moonwalked into the West End in January 2009 after three acclaimed UK tours. Several world tours since have seen the show play to acclaim in 26 countries, including Germany, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Singapore, South Africa, China, Sweden, Finland, Norway and South Korea. In 2013 it toured Japan for four months and Brazil for five months. It will next perform in Nigeria in May 2014.
Since the tragic death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009, the show has regularly been updated with additional songs, new visuals and choreography to keep the show fresh and exciting. Unlike other West End productions, Thriller - Live is not a rigid book musical with set songs, but is a constantly evolving music concert celebration.
Thriller - Live was originally conceived and created by Adrian Grant, a long time associate of Michael Jackson, and author of Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary. He said: “It’s an amazing achievement to have a show running in the West End for 6 years, but I always believed it had the potential to run and run due to wonderful music of Michael Jackson and his popularity around the world. I’m sure he would be very proud that the show continues to break records, as he did during his own life-time.”
Thriller - Live is produced by Paul Walden and Derek Nicol for Flying Music in association with Adrian Grant for Key Concerts.
Thriller - Live is currently booking until Sunday 28 September 2014
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