Interview: Melvin Gray Jr. of MJ THE MUSICAL at Old National Centre Shares the Human Side

MJ THE MUSICAL has an obvious draw. It features the music and moves of the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. However, what the musical brings to the forefront is not just the output of this star but the input it took to create his unforgettable legacy. We were lucky to have the chance to talk to Melvin Gray Jr. who is part of the latest national tour and who takes the stage as MJ. He gave us a new way to look at a pop culture icon and a reason to see the musical even if you think you already know Michael Jackson. 

Melvin was cast in the show as MJ after a few auditions and is incredibly grateful to have joined this “crazy ride” for about a year now. Although he describes the experience as “a little overwhelming at times,” he is also thrilled to say, “I’m literally playing the King of Pop.” 

Any Broadway role, especially a lead, is going to take an incredible level of commitment and dedication. But those stakes are considerably higher when you’re portraying a real person who has hours of memorable video and audio footage that live on in society’s collective memory. We wanted to know how you prep for a role like Michael Jackson. Melvin shared that it started on a personal level. “Him, his sister, Janet, and Aaliyah taught me how to dance.” That built a bridge into the dance elements, but he also shares, “I had to change a lot physically as far as my posture, how I stand.” For him, it’s not playing a character. It is transforming into this person, “this entity.” All the preparation in the world can’t change the fact that “this is a beast of a show,” but it’s clear that Melvin has a drive to do the part justice. 

Since Michael has resonated with Melvin for years, the next question had to be how you honor Michael Jackson the performer while also making the performance your own. He answered our question with a question: “How can I bring humanity into this? This is us embodying his essence.” He focuses on “not trying to be a caricature. Really sitting in his truth.” Those moments of truth turn into incredibly visceral moments on stage. Melvin experiences this most during “Stranger in Moscow.” He describes it as the moment when the “happy Michael” falls away and you see the man struggling with everything that’s coming at him. “For me, it’s just gut wrenching. Every time I sing that song and I go off stage…and my heart is always racing because I’ve thrown so much into him, just left it out there.” 

MJ THE MUSICAL is not centered strictly on Michael Jackson’s life in a straightforward timeline. Instead, it takes a look at his creative process, how he made his vision come to life, and how his experiences influenced him. We asked about any surprises that came with learning about this side of Michael. Melvin’s answer was “how much he led with love no matter how bad things got…he still was able to find light in situations.” He said, even watching hours of behind the scenes footage and interviews, he never came off like he was a “diva.” He cherishes that approach to creativity when “we don’t hear about that anymore. We hear a lot about people getting frustrated and blowing up. He didn’t let things get bad even when they were really bad.” 

That leads naturally into what Melvin hopes audiences will take away from MJ THE MUSICAL. It’s not to simply show off the music of this legend. It’s about “how all he wanted was just to bring peace…how much he had to overcome and still was a light no matter what. All that he wanted was just to have his music live on.” We could feel Melvin’s passion for sharing MJ’s message, and he had the most beautiful response: “If I can be a vessel for his light, then I will be.” 

Buy Tickets to MJ