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On Broadway: Michael Jackson and PJ Harvey

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She may be gearing up for the March 30 release of her new album with collaborator John Parish, A Woman A Man Walked By, but it turns out PJ Harvey has also been busy penning music for another pursuit: A Broadway play.

“I’ve wanted to do theater or film music since I first began writing music,” Harvey told New York Daily News. “I’ve just never been approached before.”

The British singer-songwriter found her opportunity when director Ian Rickson asked her to pen the score for his new Broadway production of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, which stars actress Mary-Louise Parker and opens this week. But this doesn’t sound like the sort of musical that will have you whistling its catchy hooks: Described as “the sound of seething,” Harvey achieved her sonic results via “mashed up guitar feedback played at the wrong speed” and piano interludes “under-cut with something wrong in the lower end, something destabilizing.” Harvey adds that “it sounds like radio static, or like things breaking down.”

So…we take it there’s no Mamma Mia-style dance number then?

Never fear: for those seeking a brand new show with a famous musician attached to it and a score you can sing (and groove like a zombie) to — help is on the way.

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is headed to Broadway!

Jackson is helping to develop Thriller: The Musical, which will be based on his 1982 hit tune’s horror-spoof narrative and zombie-tastic video. The plot of the music video revolves around a date during which Jackson turns into a werewolf and triggers an epic graveyard dance sequence. It also featured actor Vincent Price, was directed by filmmaker John Landis, and cost an unheard-of-at-the-time $500,000 to make [via Billboard.com].

Producer James L. Nederlander (head of Nederland Organization, who have acquired the rights to the production) describes the theatrical plot like this: “Girl meets boy, they fall in love, boy has big secret, now what?” [via Associated Press]. The musical will feature songs from Jackson’s albums Thrillerand Off the Wall.

In a nutshell: It’s going to be like Teen Wolf, only with a bunch of vintage Michael Jackson songs and tricked-out dance numbers. Cool!

Click here to watch the music video for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.