Fordham Alum to Play the King of Pop in New Musical
COURTESY OF SERGIO KURHAJEC
Since graduating from the Fordham/Ailey program, Sykes has appeared in musicals including “Newsies,” “Hamilton” and “Ain’t Too Proud.”
November 22, 2019
What a “Thriller” yesterday must have been for one Fordham/Ailey alum — the “Man in the Mirror” has just become a Broadway star.
Ephraim Sykes, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’10, has been cast as Michael Jackson in “MJ,” a bio-musical about the King of Pop’s life and career. The show is set to begin previews on July 6, 2020, and officially open on Aug. 13 at the Neil Simon Theatre.
“My ACTUAL wildest dream is coming true,” Sykes wrote in a post on his personal Instagram page. “I’ll do my best to honor the man who made me wanna sing and dance in the first place. Love you MJ, love y’all!”
The announcement was first made on Nov. 21 on the official “MJ” Instagram page and news outlets including Playbill and Essence. It came a day after “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations,” the musical in which he currently portrays David Ruffin, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.
His other Broadway credits over the last decade include roles as George Eacker in “Hamilton,” Mush in “Newsies” and, aptly, a Temptation in the ensemble of “Motown: The Musical.” Michael Jackson will be Sykes’ first starring role on Broadway.
Gillian “Gil” Russo, FCLC ’21, is one of The Observer’s virtual vanguards — er, online editors. Previously, she worked as the arts & culture editor and one of the inaugural newsletter editors. Gil is a journalism major/theatre minor who had hoped to write just one Broadway show review before she graduates, but now her main goal is to do at least one thing for all 15 divisions of The Observer by then (she’s up to 12). Other fun facts include that she enjoys dancing and sword-fighting, she can say the alphabet backwards, and she modeled for a French chair catalog one time. gillianrusso.com
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