Casting Change at MJ on Broadway as Original Star Departs
See who’s stepping into the role of Michael following Tavon Olds-Sample’s departure
(Photo: Matthew Murphy)
What to Know
- Tavon Olds-Sample departs MJ on Broadway May 31 after more than 2,000 performances; he originated the role of Michael in 2021
- Brandon Lee Harris will return to MJ on Broadway July 7 to take over as Michael after originating the role on the first national tour
- Understudies will perform the role in the interim as the Tony Award–winning musical, directed by Christopher Wheeldon with a book by Lynn Nottage, continues its Broadway run
After over 2,000 performances, Tavon Olds-Sample will depart MJ on May 31. Olds-Sample originated the role of Michael on Broadway in 2021. Brandon Lee Harris, who originated the role in the first national tour and was previously in the Broadway company, will return to Broadway and take over as Michael on July 7. Understudies Brett Gray, Samuel Nelson III, Jayden K. White, Joshua Kenneth Allen Johnson and the production’s swings will perform the role in the interim.
The current production features Matte Martinez as Michael Jackson, with Antoine L. Smith, Bailey McCall, Sasha Allen, Gabriel Ruiz, Christopher Sean Cooper Jr., Emjay Roa, Blake Channing Taylor, Michael Andreaus, Joey Sorge, Blu Allen, Lloyd A. Boyd III, Nick T. Daly, Kellie Drobnick, John Edwards, Aydin Eyikan, Chantelle Good, Matthew Frederick Harris, Chelsea Mitchell-Bonsu, Ryan VanDenBoom and Brion Marquis Watson.
Directed and choreographed by two-time Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon, with a book written by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, MJ is the winner of four 2022 Tony Awards.
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