From Standby to Superstar: Matte Martinez’s Journey to Leading MJ The Musical on Broadway

"My name is Matte Martinez. I play MJ in MJ The Musical. That's a crazy sentence. Every time I say it out loud, it's just a whole trip." Martinez first sent in a self-tape for the role when he was 18 years old, ahead of the show's Broadway premiere in 2022. It went to Myles Frost, who originated the role that won him that year's Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical. A couple years later, Martinez had gained experience and was presented with another opportunity to try for the role. "The next day, I got a call and they were like, 'Hey, can you move your life in two weeks to New York City for the first time?' and I said, 'You know what? For this? Yes,'" he recalls.

Martinez is the third actor to play the starring role in the Broadway bio-musical, following Frost and Elijah Rhea Johnson. He joined the show as a standby, a role he held for two years before taking over as the lead in September 2025. Having grown up with Michael Jackson's music, Martinez credits the musician for influencing his career choice. "Michael Jackson's the reason that I'm here," he says. "[Jackson] influenced me in a way that no other artist has ever influenced me. The fact that I can say that I'm playing him and I'm the third person to play him in this very brilliant, iconic show, it's a blessing."

MJ is Martinez' first theater job—he'd been working in TV and film in L.A. before moving to New York for the role. "I had no idea what to expect when it came to learning lines or blocking or direction," he says. He credits Global Associate Director Dontee Kiehn and Assistant Director Victoria Davidjohn for walking him through the process. "This has been such an informative time and journey. I've learned so much about this industry, so much about myself and so much about the art of acting and performance in general. They really shaped me into what I am today, so I'm very grateful."

Preparation for the dance-heavy role also includes participating in "MJ bootcamp" with Michael Jackson Movement pros Rich and Tone Talauega. The duo toured with Jackson and choreographed multiple numbers in The Immortal World Tour and Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson ONE. "It's interesting to be in the room with Rich and Tone because they did dance for Michael. They were working with him one-on-one and making moves with him and trying things out," Martinez says. "So to get it straight from the source is a big deal. I try to always remember that when I'm in the room, and I'm like a sponge, taking in as much as I possibly can."

Stamina-wise, Martinez can certainly feel the toll of performing eight shows a week, rather than going on in a standby capacity. "Feeling the wear and tear the body and voice takes on, it definitely is a big difference," he concedes. "But it feels like [with] every single performance, I'm settling into the role more and more each time." He continues: "I think when I look back at this time, the thing I'm going to be most proud of is the fact that I was capable of doing something at this caliber. I've lived a life where a lot of things have not gone my way, and I've been told that I should minimize myself in order to fit in or in order to continue to work. I also didn't know if I could do this. The fact that I've been here for three years and I'm now leading it, I'm just continuing to prove myself wrong."

The energy of the audience is a major contributor to what keeps Martinez going. "The music makes you want to move and get up and you feel it in your soul. So when they're excited and giving us energy after each number, it takes us to a whole different level," he says. "The fans' reactions and the anticipation of what they're about to see always gets me amped up. With a role like this, for me there's always something to prove, because you have expectations that are through the roof. People are coming into the show expecting Michael Jackson, so you've got to show up and show out." He also credits the community he's built with everyone at the Neil Simon Theatre: "The people in this building make me want to show up every day."

Touching on the longevity of the show, Martinez says one of MJ's strengths is that it captures a sense of nostalgia audiences often long for. "People have attached certain memories to Michael Jackson's music. When you walk into this theater, you are taken back to a time where Michael Jackson was and still is the number one artist of all time. You get transported back to 1992, you hear these songs, you attach these feelings to them. That feeling is unprecedented."

The Broadway Show's new Five Inside series highlights the individuals who help bring Broadway's long-running shows to life, both onstage and off.

GET TO KNOW THE MJ FAMILY
The Star: Matte Martinez | The Debut: Samuel Nelson III | The Long-Runner: Apollo Levine | The Creative Engine: Global Associate Director Dontee Kiehn | The Backstage MVP: Global Associate Costume Designer Christine Meyers

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