For years, we’ve been asking Annie if she’s okay, but I think it’s time to ask Johnny—Depp, that is.
Through his company, Infinitum Nihil, the actor is producing a stage play about the life of Michael Jackson, from the perspective of his famous glittery glove. Yes, that is a factual sentence that exists in real life.
According to IndieWire, writer-director Julien Nitzberg (The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia) is debuting For the Love of a Glove: An Unauthorized Musical Fable, which will take a “uniquely strange approach” in showcasing the second half of the King of Pop’s life. In developing the stage play, Nitzberg claimed he “interviewed a lot of people who knew Michael and no one could really explain why he behaved the way he did.” Along with Depp, the producer line-up will include Sam Sarkar, Leigh Crawford and former Jackson 5 road manager Anthony “Tony” Jones.
IndieWire provided the following synopsis:
Was Michael Jackson framed for horrible crimes by four aliens who were trying to take over Earth by using him as their patsy? Did God turn Michael white to get revenge on Donny Osmond and the Mormons for teaching that black people were cursed? Are Jehovah’s Witnesses telling the truth when they teach that masturbating can make you gay? Only one person knows the answers and… everyone thinks he’s just a glove. It might be the most f’ed up musical you’ll ever see. And it’s got puppets. Come meet the hand that grabbed Michael’s gland in Neverland.
Um...what the fuck?
Apparently, Nitzberg was initially hired to write a Jackson biopic for television, but due to creative differences, he decided to tell the story he wanted to tell, via stage, instead.
“When I said ‘no’ to the Michael Jackson biopic, I’m sure they offered the job to another writer,” Nitzberg said. “I have no idea what happened to the project. In Hollywood, they develop so many things that never get made. My guess is that they never cracked how to tell the story. Because no one can really know what went on in Michael’s head or house, it’s an impossible story to tell and not have it be fully, non-logically absurd.”
The child sex abuse allegations against Jackson have sparked recent discussion, following HBO’s controversial documentary, Leaving Neverland.
According to Nitzberg, his play won’t cover Jackson’s life at Neverland ranch and the aforementioned documentary didn’t have any effect on his production. “When the gloves suggest sleepovers with young children, our Michael thinks the idea is horrible. In many ways, the gloves operate as Michael’s Jungian shadow self, allowing Michael to process his life,” Nitzberg said.
Again...what the fuck?
For the Love of a Glove: An Unauthorized Musical Fable opens Jan. 25 at the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan theatre in Los Angeles. If you just can’t wait to see a glitter glove as a protagonist, you can purchase advance tickets of the production here.