After getting Jackson's nod in 2001, Grant developed the show into a proper spectacular. It previewed in 2005, went on a UK tour in 2007, and hit the West End. Like Jackson's artistic legacy, Grant's collaboration with director/choreographer Gary Lloyd and musical director John Maher is now one for the record books: the 20th longest running West End show, touring shows have played in more than 28 countries (significantly, not the United States, for copyright reasons) to audiences of more than three million people.
Michael endorsed an early version of the show, his brothers have all loved it.
Grant could well be the uber-fan boy. He met Jackson a number of times at Neverland and accompanied him on visits to children's hospitals - and one of the joys of the show is the obvious love and admiration cast and directors have for him and his work.
Maher put the first show together in 2007 and is still touring with the production in Australia and New Zealand eight years later. The former school choir singer who played Riff Raff with Richard O'Brien in a 1986 production of Rocky Horror Show had been an actor, been in a rock band, and still likes to do a bit of cabaret. He points out that this is not the sort of show where you do bold, new arrangements or re-invent someone's work as an outsider.
"I had to study what makes [his music] tick, how to capture that. I had to study it like a forensic scientist. He was at the forefront of recording - the first big artist to use keyboard base, his rhythmic detail is phenomenal. When you listen to his
a capella recordings as a kid in the studio, the groove is so heavy, and that voice, his phrasing. I can't think of a singer who sang more rhythmically," he says.
Maher's task, with the director and producers, is to recruit the singers for the shows. But they are not looking for Jackson impersonators.
"We look for someome with a natural understanding of MJ's style but bring themselves into it. They have to hit that sweet spot, their voice, Michael's phrasing. Some will land it, some will bring their own."
The show is constantly refreshed to reflect the mix of performers: for the Australasian tour, the company has dropped a young child singing the early 70s songs, and is rotating the two lead women, Prinnie Stevens and Samantha Johnson. But as Maher says, Jackson's prolific output is a blessing and curse, as there are more hits than can fit in any one show. Every couple of years, he works with Grant and Lloyd to pitch a new version before casting.
He points out the show isn't strictly chronological "though it still feels like it is" as they balance the performers and their connection to the numbers. He admits rehearsals are the most enjoyable part as they "stitch the monster together" - in this case bringing an Australian cast to the West End for four weeks, then another three weeks of rehearsing and a two-week tour before they hit Perth last month.
Resident director Jessica Powell Antonini, who had the same role for the company's 2013 tour of Brazil, and tour manager Phil Watts, laugh that their job is a bit like solving a Tetris puzzle, fitting together singers and dancers for each tour, to match Gary Lloyd's vision for the show. They shudder at the prospect of injuries, but have a dance physio in each town to immediately treat niggles, as well as a roster of the best gyms and dance classes at each stop.
The remarkable thing is how quickly new people are welcomed into the company. It's a lively, friendly bunch with a mix of crew who have been putting the sets and sound together for more than six years (two sets are travelling the world to cover the shipping times between countries).
The gorgeous singers and dancers work and socialise together: their Instagram feeds are a cause of much body envy by this visiting pack of journos.
Most of the bonding seems to happen in one of the last segments of the show, Earth Song, where each performer brings their own energy - and tears - into the number.
Break-out star Alex Buchanan says he still gets lost in that moment, often opening his eyes to discover an audience sitting in silence, too stunned to clap. This young man is going places and reckons he's learned more than just singing and dancing from Jackson.
"I'm very private. I want people to recognise my music, not for celebrity; publicity not for your lifestyle but for your work. I've never been fooled that this is an overnight process. It takes time."
He has definitely put in his 10,000 hours, starting at 10 with his singer dad, Gary Buchanan. Granddad was also a musician, one of the West Indian immigrants who kicked off the Notting Hill Carnival. Buchanan is realistic about the business - despite accolades from tour producers about his natural talent.
His audition is the stuff of dreams - stunned silence followed by immediate job offers for this, his first professional company gig. He gets standing ovations and rave reviews, but Buchanan still retires to his room to write music until 4am, keeps in touch with his mum and fiancee and tours with his band when he's back home. You get the feeling he is sucking in every minute of this show, working with top musical directors, choreographers and, of course, Jackson's work, to polish that talent and create his own MJ-worthy 40-year career.
Impressively, the two women lead vocalists, Stevens and Johnson, defy the stroppy stage stereotypes. The pair, who only met for this tour, finish each others' sentences and declare close friendship.
"It could have been a catastrophe, we're both so dramatically different," says the Australian sweetheart from The Voice, Prinny Stevens. "But it is very empowering as women that we both bring life to this performance. We all have the same motivation, we all love MJ and his artistry."
"I'm not a dancer, Prinnie's background is dance, but I love to emulate Michael," adds Johnson. "The score allows us to show who we are as artists. But you dance, you can't just 'park and bark'.
"We sacrifice so much on tour but this cast love each other. We all get on. It's great being around passionate people."
"We're blessed to have everyone so connected.
You're intoxicated by what everyone is doing around you," says Stevens.
"And then when the audience is really with us on a song, you really have to bring yourself back to reality."
Jackson's death in 2009 was the terrible finale to one of the saddest high-pressure lives in show business but it is easy to see how this show can rehabilitate his reputation.
The good bits - the incredible music that spans 70s pop, through R&B to his own unique sound - deserve the applause and revisiting. I won't be missing Thriller Live, that's for sure.
Thriller Live is on at Auckland's Civic Theatre February
12-22. Tickets from $69. Contact Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.co.nz). facebook.com/ThrillerAUNZ
