Michael Jackson HIStory II

American entertainer Kenny Wizz enjoyed great success in this county some years ago when he toured Michael Jackson HIStory.

That success, buoyed by many glowing reviews, led to his quick return with a revamped version, Michael Jackson HIStory II, which was even more well-received by audiences and critics. Wizz is now preparing to tour Australia once again with Michael Jackson HIStory II although, as he explains, the show is continually being updated. “We are always tweaking it,” he says ahead of the show’s seven-date Australian tour that will take it to most capital cities along with some regional centres from mid-March until early April. “Whenever you have a successful show you don’t want to just live off that,” he continues. “You want to continually see it change and grow and always challenge yourself. And it was the same with Michael Jackson himself. Anything he had success with, Michael always wanted to better it. So we’ve changed the show around a little since last time. There’s a couple of new songs in there and we’ve changed the format slightly.” The entertainer grew up in Los Angeles around the time The Jackson Five first came to attention. “They were constantly being played on local radio after they moved there in the early 70s,” Wizz explains. “So they became part of the culture. Of course, they became a worldwide phenomenon but because they were living in Los Angeles, you couldn’t help but be exposed to them and their music because it was just about everywhere.” Originally a street performer, Wizz enjoyed a decade-long run with his Jackson tribute show in Las Vegas but, out of respect, ceased presenting it when Michael Jackson passed away. He was eventually swayed to put it back together at the request of Michael Jackson’s many fans. “I’d never done the show for my own personal gain but when a major artist dies, there’s always the perception that tribute shows are cashing in on someone’s death,” Wizz says. “Here come the dollar signs. So it was out of respect that I stopped doing the show. I also felt I had already done as much as I could – I’d taken it all over the world – but after a certain period of grief following Michael’s death, doing the show again seemed like it was part of the healing process for myself and his fans. And being back on stage did really serve as a great healing process for me,” he concludes. Michael Jackson HIStory II Her Majesty’s Theatre Tuesday, March 18