Showing @ Festival Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 1 Nov @ times vary (on tour)

Whatever you might think of Michael Jackson – the pet monkey, the cataclysmic plastic surgery, the court accusations and all the other craziness – he was an incomparable genius. This ball-busting show has done much to burnish his legend, especially since his sudden death in 2009 at the age of 50. The show is vaguely Michael Jackson’s musical story from his precocious star turn with the Jackson Five – one of the most successful vocal groups of all time – to his ground-breaking dancefloor hits like the scintillating Billie Jean, and beyond. No one performer plays Jackson but his music is celebrated by a stonking ensemble. Some look like Jacko, most don’t: of particular note are lead vocalists Alex Buchanan, Rachel Adedeji and Deborah Dada.

The show never attempts to tackle Jackson’s complicated psychology and the early running-commentary about the star’s achievements and rewards is a tad redundant. What’s important here is the sound and, of course, the dancing, and it’s all here amid the glitter, cannons and indoor fireworks: the crotch-grabbing, the body-popping and the Moonwalking. Gary Lloyd does a fabulous and inventive job of direction and choreography and Nigel Catmur deserves special mention for his breathtaking LED lighting field. Something of Jackson’s dangerous swagger may be missing from this crowd-pleasing extravaganza but this is a minor quibble when the hits keep coming. In all it’s a stunning tribute to that extraordinary man in the mirror.