There is a new MJ in ‘MJ the Musical.’ And here’s how he transforms himself for every show

After a year of being an understudy, actor, dancer, and songwriter, Jordan Markus is ready to don the mythical fedora, slip into the rhinestone-encrusted glove, and take on the lead role of the national tour of Broadway’s Tony-winning MJ the Musical, which runs through Jan. 19 at the Academy of Music.

“It just feels right,” he said. “I’m ready to do it.”

Here’s a sneak peek into how Markus becomes MJ.

Becoming the man in the mirror

It all starts, Markus said, with “the man in the mirror.”

To settle into character, he arrives hours before showtime. Once he gets to the theater, he takes a seat in the makeup chair, then “zones in” to character.

Becoming MJ, he said, isn’t as simple as just applying contour makeup or putting on loafers and a densely curled hairpiece. It’s a character and story he’s fully embraced. “I’ve obviously never been Michael Jackson, but we share similarities. Lots of them, actually,” Markus said, whether it’s feelings of loneliness, perfectionism, or the unwavering pursuit of one’s musical dreams.

“Really knowing who I am has helped me become, in quotations, Michael. And I kind of live in it every day.”

Classic wardrobe with a modern twist

Costume designer Paul Tazewell grew up emulating the Jackson 5 with his three brothers. To piece together the show’s wardrobe, he referred to images of Jackson throughout his career.

Jackson’s style, he said, reflected the trends of the times, but always came with a twist that was uniquely his own. The challenge for him lay in styling the character of Jackson, from little Michael (Josiah Benson and Bane Griffith) to MJ the icon (Markus), with many fictionalized moments embedded into the show.

“It was about creating a world the audience could believe and stay engaged within,” said Tazewell, who won a Tony Award for best costume design in a musical for 2016’s Hamilton.

Tazewell’s vision is in full bloom throughout the show. He incorporates classic outfits from Jackson’s career — from his earth-shattering debut of the moonwalk at a Motown 25th anniversary concert, to the iconic outfits seen in the “Smooth Criminal” and “Beat It” music videos.

When the direct references aren’t as readily available, Tazewell takes calculated liberties. During the dance rehearsal scenes, Markus’ MJ wears loose cotton shirts, flowingly trim trousers, and hard-bottom dance shoes.

Moving like a smooth criminal

It helps to have Jackson’s moves, too.

Choreographers Rich and Tone Talauega, who were dancers on Jackson’s “HIStory World Tour," taught Markus the techniques and the “king rhythm” that Jackson possessed.

Rich Talauega said Markus, whom he affectionately calls “too tall,” managed to grasp the dance moves and other idiosyncrasies needed to capture the spirit of Michael Jackson. The movement may appear “simple,” but the two brothers said it requires thousands of rehearsal hours and an unrelenting work ethic to achieve. And Markus embraced it all for the role.

“He’s earned it,” Rich Talauega said. “The amount of work he put in resulted in him being able to walk in those loafers, glide from side to side, hit those notes, and play the role of Michael Jackson so big-time. I take my hat off to [Markus].”

“He did the homework,” Tone Talauega added.

Along with crafting the movement for the musical, the duo also served as authenticators of Jackson’s story.

They talked to Markus about the shared prayers, heated rehearsal sessions, and monumental performances that reflected the man, artist, and cultural phenomenon. And Rich Talauega said the result is an “electrifying, in-your-face, bona fide, and pure” telling of the generation-defying talent.

“It’s really surreal to be able to represent this man’s legacy through his dance style,” Rich Talauega said. “We feel so privileged, honored, blessed, and lucky to be able to replicate this man’s dance style as best we can with this new generation of Michaels.”

– The Philadelphia Inquirer

From South Philly to Broadway to addiction and back again

As early as 6 years old, dance was everything to James T. Lane. He used to break-dance on the sidewalks of his South Philadelphia neighborhood streets, and was so enthralled in his first dance class at Meredith Elementary School, he forgot to take a bathroom break — and ended up needing an extra pair of pants as a result.

“Dance was my first language,” said Lane, who went on to study jazz and ballet. “I could express myself as a little Black gay boy, and I had a talent that kept the bullies away. I knew I could express myself and I can have feelings, be emotional and ride the rhythm of the music. That was very attractive to me, and it was a bright light in a very dark world.”

Those days led Lane to pursue a career in acting, and after seeing Robert Guillaume become the first Black actor to play the title role in The Phantom of the Opera, he knew his dreams of reaching the Broadway stage were possible.

In the nearly 20 years since making his Broadway debut, Lane, 45, has starred in productions such as The Scottsboro Boys, Roundabout’s revival of Kiss Me Kate, King Kong The Musical, and he wrapped up his turn as Billy Flynn in Chicago earlier this month.

Now, instead of being a vessel for others’ stories, Lane said he’s ready to share a deeply personal story of his own and show audiences the failures, tragedies, and triumphs that shaped his identity and, ultimately, saved his life.

In his one-man-show Triple Threat, Lane will chronicle his life growing up in the notorious Southwark housing projects in South Philly, and detail how his love for the stage led to his Broadway stardom, and helped him overcome the darkness and isolation of drug and alcohol addiction.

Lane will play a total of 20 characters in a solo production that draws back to his formative years at Meredith Elementary School and Philadelphia’s Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP).

The actor will embody the spirit of his mother, police officers, teachers, fellow drug addicts, and other loved ones he encountered during that period of his life.

Before starring in three Tony Award-nominated musicals, Lane was a fresh-faced 19-year-old actor who declined full theater scholarships at Carnegie Mellon and Pennsylvania State University to pursue an early career start in the Big Apple.

Upon moving to New York, Lane landed a starring role as Tyrone Jackson in Fame. But after tearing his Achilles tendon, he turned to drugs and alcohol, which led to a four-year battle with substance abuse.

“It was a far fall from grace,” he said, “from a 19-year-old traveling the world and being in Switzerland to not being able to get out of their four-block radius in South Philly because I had a drug and alcohol problem. My world got very, very small.”

Lane moved back to his mother’s home in South Philadelphia with hopes of regaining his footing. At the time, Lane said he was a “garbage head,” dabbling in any drug he could get hands on, including ecstasy and crack cocaine.

The support from his mother, Starletta Smith, ultimately led to his recovery.

“I begged him to change,” Smith said. “I didn’t know the man he had become. When he tore his Achilles, he was sad because it stopped him from performing, and that was him. [Lane] lived for the stage, and when he couldn’t do it, one drug led to the other and it just got out of control.”

After entering a local outpatient center in 2004, Lane vowed to refrain from drugs and to work his way back up the theater ranks. But first, he needed to tighten his frame, regain his confidence, and embrace his past missteps.

“I could always dance and act, but back then, I just couldn’t do it anymore,” Lane said. “I just couldn’t muster up the conviction. I didn’t have any connections, and the talent wasn’t showing up anymore. I couldn’t keep rhythm or keep timing, so I decided to get my act together and started talking about being Black, gay and being an addict. I started to really give voice to that shame, and interestingly enough, I was able to breathe a little easier and walk a little lighter.”

Along with his mother’s guidance, Lane leaned on his faith to blaze a path toward personal and artistic salvation.

Before moving back to New York, Lane took a job at the Walnut Street Theatre and began stringing together local performances. After resharpening his skills in a production of Aida, his name began to circulate again in the theater world. In 2006, he landed his first Broadway role as Richie Walters in the Tony-nominated musical A Chorus Line.

In the years since the production’s run, Lane has become a notable name in New York City theater, and has even transitioned to the silver screen as a recurring character in NBC’s The Amber Ruffin Show.

With Lane’s one-man show just months from its New York debut, Dorina Morrow, his former music teacher at Meredith Elementary, said his story will encourage audiences to conquer any obstacles in their guard.

“He can talk the talk, but he can walk the walk,” she said. “I don’t see him ever stopping, and I think the overcoming of his troubles will be such an inspiration.”

Lane’s “Triple Threat” will make its off-Broadway debut at Theatre Row, 410 W. 42nd St., in New York. There will be a preview for Pride Month on June 17, followed by its official opening on June 23. For more information on the show, visit bfany.org.

– The Philadelphia Inquirer