Interview: 'It's Become My Life': Jamaal Fields-Green on Becoming a Triple Threat in MJ THE MUSICAL

The West End’s production of MJ the Musical will be coming to a close in February 2026, after opening in March last year. Recently, we had the chance to speak with Jamaal Fields-Green, who is the only person to have played Michael Jackson on Broadway, on tour across North America and now in the West End!

We discussed what the process is like to become the iconic performer, his favourite Michael Jackson songs and some of the differences between the West End and Broadway. 

So starting with a bit of a general question, how did you first get started in the world of theatre?

Well, my first show that I saw on Broadway was The Lion King, which is almost everybody's first show! It really took off was in high school. My friends and I took an elective course for musical theory, and we were goofing around the entire time in the class. Our music teacher, Nadia Rizzo, she saw something in us and invited us to audition for the musical. And then I ended up getting the lead, Seaweed, in Hairspray, and just fell in love with the theatre community at the high school. And we just loved doing the show! The next year we did The Wiz and the choreographer for that show, Josue Jasmin, pulled my mom aside and was like, “He has the it factor. He could do this for the rest of his life. He takes it seriously enough.” From there, I got an acting coach and my mentor, John McDonald, and I got into the Hartt School - it just took off from there! But high school is where it really started for me. 

And what made you want to be a part of MJ the Musical?

It's MJ! It's Michael Jackson, one of - if not the - greatest artists of all time. I had auditioned for it and made it to some callbacks back in 2020, and then, when the show opened, I went to go see it with a friend of mine. I just remember being blown away by the show. This is just an amazing, magical show. I was like, “Oh, I would love to do this.” And then, while seeing it, during the intermission, I got an email from my agent at the time for future replacements for MJ in MJ the Musical, and it was awesome!

And the role of MJ really allows the performer to flex the triple threat muscle. You have to sing your butt off, you have to dance very, very well, you have to act very well to tell the story. And that's really what drove me to audition and to this project, into this role. There's so much to work with!

What is the process like to become Michael Jackson on stage?

A lot of prayer! Lots and lots of prayer. Because he's a very specific performer, loved by so many people, but also his work ethic. He was so detailed and intentional with everything. His stuff, it's like a ceiling. You're always trying to reach for it, and every time you may hit it, the ceiling rises again. The bar rises because he was just that great. I've watched and continue to watch film footage on YouTube. YouTube's my Best Friend when it comes to my MJ studying! I watched a lot of videos of him talking to listen to his inflexions and his speech, the way he spoke and how he had a slight lisp as he got older. But yeah, I just watched a lot of footage and practice whenever I can. It's become my life, honestly. But footage is the biggest thing.

Do you find that any traits from Michael Jackson have blended into your own life?

Totally! The crazy thing about Michael is that he was this person that you can put into a box of one, but his story is really the artist's journey, of having to constantly do something great, and then having to feel like you have to constantly reinvent yourself, to constantly remind people who you are - I feel like that's the artistic journey in a nutshell.

 But also, you never stop learning. It's never too late to learn something new. if you have a dream or aspiration or a vision, stick to it! Don't let the outside noise or anyone try to deter you from that. Anything is possible through you believing that you can achieve it and then actually going out to do that. So I would say his work ethic and his passion for dreaming.

What has it been like to be in three different productions of the show on Broadway, on the North American tour and in the West End?

The MJ-Verse, the Spider-Verse! It's awesome. I'm very fortunate to have been able to work with different groups of people in the same show. One thing about the industry, specifically theatre, what I love about it is the community that you're able to get from it, even just from the cast. It's just dope. And honestly, the cultural differences from Broadway to tour, all the way here to London! Because London obviously has its cultural differences, but even touring and Broadway is different because on tour you're on the road all the time, and that's different than the bond that you'll have with a company when you're just sitting down in one city. So it's been awesome - weird, but in a good way. I'm just thankful to have been able to do all three.

What would you say is the biggest difference between Broadway and the West End?

The audiences, definitely the audiences. Audiences here in London are way more reserved than American audiences. We are indeed some rowdy, loud Americans! English audiences are the complete opposite of that. They're very reserved. They practice theatre etiquette to a T. But what I love about it - my mentor taught me this very early on - a quiet audience doesn't necessarily mean that they don't like the show. It means that they're just listening. They listen, because their reactions are no different from the reactions that I got at the end of the show on tour or on Broadway. They’re standing up, clapping and screaming at the end of the show.

Do you have a favourite Michael Jackson song, and has it changed since you started with the show?

My favourite song . . . “You Rock My World,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Leave Me Alone” . . . Songs that aren't in the show! [Laughs] But I love the songs that are in the show. I always say I never envy the creative team and their task of picking what songs were and weren't going to be in the show, because he just has too many!

What do you hope audiences take away from MJ the Musical?

Aside from the dancing and the storytelling and everything, the show does a really good job of showing the human being behind the icon. My biggest hope is for audiences to see Michael as a human being like the rest of us. A human being that was just trying his best and was able to accomplish a lot, and had to go through a lot. And through that adversity and everything, still has this huge legacy that he left behind for everybody to enjoy.

But I would definitely say the human being that he was behind the icon. And then I would also say he just dared to dream, and for audiences to walk away and to dream for themselves. 

And finally, how would you describe MJ the Musical in one word?

Thriller! [Laughs]

MJ the Musical runs until 28 February 2026 at the Prince Edward Theatre.

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