Mitchell Zhangazha on playing Middle Michael in 'MJ the Musical'

While Jamaal Fields-Green slays as adult MJ, West End star Mitchell Zhangazha brings the King of Pop's teenage years to life in MJ the Musical.

From his West End debut at seven years old in the original cast of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, to roles in hit musicals like The Lion King, Back to the Future, and Dear Evan Hansen, Mitchell Zhangazha already had an impressive CV to his name before being cast as the teenage Michael Jackson in MJ the Musical. A year after the musical’s premiere in the West End, he reflects on how the role has shaped him and reveals what it’s like starring alongside his brother Ashley in the hit show about the King of Pop.

What period of Michael’s life do you play in MJ?

I play Michael from the age of 16 to about 25. If we’re going through the albums, it covers the Off the Wall album and the Thriller album, which takes you up to the Victory Tour, where he breaks away from his brothers to focus on being a solo artist. That’s why we call it the middle Michael years — because it’s his teenage years, where he’s finding himself as an adult and you see him transition from the afro, to the jheri curl, to having longer hair!

How does it feel performing as Michael Jackson, having starred as little Michael in Thriller Live?

It’s wonderful. Michael Jackson played in my house when I was growing up and my mum and dad were huge fans. When I was in Thriller Live, I didn’t realise how significant it was as I was going through my teenage years, but when you get older and look back, you realise it was such an amazing thing to do. Now as an adult capturing his teenage years, I have realised how special it is to play Michael Jackson not once but twice in the West End. It’s such a full circle, beautiful moment.

Your brother plays Joseph Jackson/Rob in MJ the Musical. What is it like starring alongside him?

To be playing two lead roles in the West End in a new show from Broadway is such a proud moment for my family. I think having the brotherly connection does allow us to go further with a scene because we have that innate trust in each other. It’s been nice to see Ashley in a working environment and to learn from him and feed off each other. It's allowed us to get closer as well because we see each other six times a week. People still don't believe that we're brothers, even at the stage door, they'll be like, "You're brothers? No way!" You’ve been in the show for a year now. What have you learned about yourself since performing in MJ?

I've learned to not doubt myself as much. Playing Michael Jackson, there's always that sense of impostor syndrome. I know people feel very strongly about Michael Jackson, so if you do it wrong, people are going to have an opinion. I put that pressure on myself. I said at the start, “There's no way I'm going to be able to do this role. And if I am able to do it, I'm not going to do it justice." I've learned to be kinder to myself. The creative team has supported me throughout and there's a reason why they've given me the role.

You have starred as a number of music legends on stage, such as Stevie Wonder in Motown the Musical and Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations in Ain’t Too Proud. Does that come with pressure?

When you take the job, you think about the fact they're real people and audiences are expecting a certain standard or certain mannerisms, and that's where I feel the pressure. But they're such iconic roles and iconic people that I could never say no. I might sound like a geek but it's so fun watching videos and researching these stars. For MJ the Musical, I found myself watching Michael Jackson videos for seven hours a day.

What did performing as the lead in Dear Evan Hansen mean to you?

The show holds a special place in my heart because it touches on themes of mental health and anxiety, and you could see the effect the show would have on people when you met them at stage door — whether it saved their lives or it helped them get through a difficult time. I'm not an emotional person, but through the music, through the script, the direction, I unlocked a part of myself during Dear Evan Hansen, which I did not realise I had. It was the job that helped me grow as a person and really helped me to get in touch with my emotions.
I was the first Black British Evan Hansen and I had people say to me, “I've always loved this musical but I never saw anybody that looked like me playing Evan.” It's very rare that you get to see a Black male be that emotional as a lead role on stage.

What would you love to do next?

Doing a movie musical would be a dream because that combines the love of musical theatre and the dream of doing TV and film. That’s the end goal!

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This article first appeared in the February 2025 issue of London Theatre Magazine.