Michael Jackson stage musical will now premiere on Broadway, not Chicago

By Miriam Di Nunzio

dont_stop_til_you_get_enough_billboard_on_44th_street_courtesy_of_dkc_om_e1548261897240.jpg — A billboard advertises “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” in New York. | DKC OM

Less than one month after news that Chicago was the city selected for the pre-Broadway world premiere this fall of the Michael Jackson stage musical “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” the show’s producers on Thursday announced that is no longer the case.

The show will now debut on Broadway in the summer of 2020.

The Michael Jackson Estate and Columbia Live Stage cited “scheduling difficulties” due to the recently ended Actors Equity strike in New York as the reason for the decision.

However, late Thursday afternoon, Actors Equity issued a statement questioning the effect of the strike on the Chicago cancellation:

It’s incredibly disappointing that the actors and stage managers who are currently working to develop this project were not informed about a major production change before a public media announcement was made. The developmental lab that was scheduled for this production was delayed by 12 working days during the strike. It is difficult to understand how a modest delay in February would impact a run that was scheduled for late October.

Chicago will, however, be the kick-off city for the show’s first national touring production at a future date.

“Don’t Stop” features a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and will be directed and choreographed by ballet icon Christopher Wheeldon.

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