Australian MJ Announced! – Spotlight Report

GLOBAL SUPERSTAR ROMAN BANKS TO REPRISE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PERFORMANCE AS MJ IN AUSTRALIA
Australian producer Michael Cassel, alongside original Broadway producers Lia Vollack, John Branca, and John McClain, is thrilled to announced critically acclaimed performer Roman Banks will lead the Australian premiere of the Tony Award-winning musical MJ when it debuts at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in February 2025.
Banks made his historic Broadway debut in the award-winning production Dear Evan Hansen, marking the first time an African American performer had portrayed the title role. After leaving Dear Evan Hansen, Banks was cast as Howie in Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, before returning to the stage to lead the US National Tour of MJ.
Banks’ portrayal of the title role in MJ earned him both audience and critical acclaim with the Chicago Sun-Times calling him “a force of nature” while the Houston Chronicle said “What Banks does on stage as MJ is nothing short of miraculous” and the Denver Post said “The beautiful trick that Banks pulls off as the adult MJ is to embody, not merely mimic…Banks brings an aura that is his own”.
Banks will be joined by Brisbane-based newcomer Liam Damons who will make his professional debut playing Michael as a young adult.
They join the already announced cast including Josslynn Hlenti Afoa as Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine, Conlon Bonner playing the dual roles of Tito Jackson and Quincy Jones, Derrick Davis playing Michael’s father, Joseph, and his tour director, Rob, Yashith Fernando as Alejandro, Wonza Johnson as Berry Gordy and Nick, Tim Wright as Dave, and Home and Away star Penny McNamee making her highly anticipated return to the stage as MTV journalist, Rachel.
The rest of the cast is completed by Ceeko, Albanus Terry Strickland II, Beth Appiah Cain, Shewit Belay, Martha Berhane, Eric Boyd, Charlie Bryant, Liam Costello, Xavier Gibson, Kyle Kavully, G Madison IV, Loredo Malcolm, David L. Murray Jr, Sebaga Neumann, Coby Njoroge, Warren Nolan Jr, Fletcher O’Leary, Brittany Page, Dustin Praylow, Tigist Strode and Iris Wei.
MJ takes the audience back to 1992 and inside the creation of the iconic Dangerous World Tour. The production goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Michael Jackson into legendary status.