It is hardly surprising that there is at least one show dealing with Michael Jackson and his infamous trial but it is surprising that it is actually good.
Martha Loves Michael is a fairly obvious concept, as it is about a young English girl who is obsessed with the world’s most troubled musician, but there also a mirroring, adjacent storyline that plays Martha’s young sister into the arms of a convicted, though slightly reformed, paedophile. The link is rather trite and the outcome inevitable but the journey to the conclusion is an engaging one, as the brittle lives of four individuals overlap and interweave as they unravel.
While the script lacks a little originality, the rest of the production makes up for it, as the direction, stage design and individual performances make sure that your attention is always focused on the right storyline. In truth, the central tale is the least interesting of the three but it does fill the role of pulling the others together and driving them forward.
A tale about Michael Jackson and paedophilia may not whet everyone’s appetite but Martha Loves Michael is one of the strongest pieces of drama that we have seen so far this year.
4/5
Richard Biggs
