Backstage with Josh A. Dawson of 'MJ'

There are few entertainers that loom as largely as Michael Jackson. Having grown up in the music industry producing countless classics and culture shifting moments, it could be argued that he is the biggest artist of his generation. Now, as the award-winning musical about his life makes its way to Austin, I was fortunate enough to sit down with Josh A. Dawson, from the cast of the musical, to learn more about his connection to this legacy that he’s helping bring to life.

“I used to sing in my dad's church,” he explained. “I'm a multiple-generation pastor's son, and so the arts sort of found me very young, and that's where I got to practice most of my talents — singing, acting, dancing. I got started in the church.”

Having spent some of his formative years in Dallas, Dawson was fortunate to cultivate his talents from a young age. Though he showed promise in the arts, his loved ones had hoped he would pursue a career in the church, just as many of the men in his family had done before him. But fate had a different plan for Dawson.

Josh A. Dawson. Courtesy image

“It's so interesting, about a month before Covid hit, accepted a call to preach. Interestingly enough, it kind of fell into my lap and so I finally surrendered to the lineage and then covid happened. And man, I read more books than I had, even in my undergrad — and I am an avid atheist now,” Dawson said with a laugh. “I still minister, which is very interesting, I just minister to the very people that told me to and claimed to have the truth. Even those people need to be ministered to, and to do it from my perspective, which — up until that point — was church every Sunday, multiple times a week. To do it compassionately, to do it respectfully. So I still feel like a minister.”

Despite the pivot away from the family business, Dawson still has the love and support of his family.

“I think my family accepts me. They have been very, very, very supportive,” he stated. “I've been an actor since I was six, so my parents have poured me into acting classes and singing lessons, dance classes my whole life. I went to college for it. I've been a Broadway actor for the last 15 years, they have been in lockstep with my journey.”

His journey has certainly been one filled with highlights. Dawson has been a part of several notable productions including “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” and “Hamilton” on the stage, but he’s also played another legend on the small screen, taking up the role of Harry Belafonte in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Now, he’s thrilled to play both Tito Jackson, and the legend Quincy Jones in “MJ.” 

“Everything that you just heard me shpiel is exactly what I get to exude on stage,” he exclaimed. “It was the very embodiment of who Quincy Jones is; his worldview, his outlook on life — he tried to break preconceived compartmentalizations of music and of art and culture. He used to play trumpet for jazz greats like Miles Davis and Duke Ellington, and decided one day, 'I'm gonna go to Europe and study classical music with this Russian Caucasian woman,' and it was after that, he came back and wrote some of the most iconic string arrangements for a young man named Michael Jackson. And that's why you have songs like "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough." When you hear those string arrangements, people almost immediately know those motifs. And so I like to say that I'm living the embodiment of this person, and I get to live as myself on stage. It's a wonderful combination.”

Although the roles are practically tantamount to the Michael Jackson story, it was Quincy Jones who took a leading role in elevating Michael to that next level in adult career. For Dawson, this role feels fitting, and a welcome resonance of his own worldview.

“What I like to say about Quincy Jones, specifically, is he was sort of a spiritual guide, artistic guide — a mentor in the arts and mentor in songwriting and song creation for Michael Jackson at a really pivotal moment when he was in the process of standing on his own two feet,” Dawson explained. “He left The Jackson Five, and was creating his own solo trajectory When he came into Michael Jackson's life, it was only because he had gone out into the world and researched and observed that he had enough worldview to be able to pour into a vessel as large as someone like Michael Jackson who could hear and listen and put things into real world applications.That is a skill and a discipline in itself.”

Focusing on the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour, “MJ” goes beyond the iconic moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Michael Jackson into legendary status. Dawson believes that audiences will leave the show with a better understanding of the man behind the music.

“I do think that people will come and leave this show with a new sense of Michael Jackson's humanity,” he stated. “It's not like a typical biographical Broadway musical where you have start to finish, and you see the intricacies of a linear story, but I do think it gives us glimpses into Michael's humanity. I think that people will not only leave this show changed, I think they will leave with new information. It's unlike any Broadway musical; it's more closely aligned to a concert where people are screaming, people are dancing in the aisles. None of us get the full scope of the monolithic human being, but I do think that we get glimpses of his humanity.”

“MJ “comes to Bass Concert Hall Oct. 8-13, and tickets are available at www.BroadwayinAustin.com