“It’s me. It’s Michael.” Those words―spoken by the King of Pop’s disembodied voice―proclaim the beginning of One, the Las Vegas spectacle that’s the latest piece of Michael Jackson’s lucrative legacy.
“是我，迈克尔。”流行音乐之王杰克逊空灵的声音在《独一无二》(One)的演出现场激荡回响，标志着演出的盛大开幕。《独一无二》是在拉斯维加斯隆重举办的驻场表演，也是迈克尔•杰克逊收益庞大的遗产帝国倾情打造的最新华章。
Indeed, there’s plenty of Michael. As One unfurls, the hard-rocking riffs of “Beat It” blare out across the show’s permanent home at the 1, 804-seat theater at Mandalay Bay as ersatz paparazzi, sporting oversized cameras and red trench-coats, zip-line overhead en route to the stage (the characters return throughout the show, a reminder of Jackson’s under-the-microscope life).
当然，演出中有许多杰克逊元素出现。随着表演的拉开帷幕，《Beat It》的硬摇滚即兴重复段响彻整座场馆――《独一无二》的驻场表演地曼德勒海湾度假村(Mandalay Bay)剧场，馆内可容纳1,804个座位。随着乐声的响起，一群扮作狗仔队的演员炫酷十足地扛着超大相机，穿着红色风衣，通过头顶的溜索登上舞台(在整场演出的过程中，这些“狗仔队”不断地回到舞台，暗示着杰克逊的生活时刻处在 “显微镜”之下)。
What follows is a 90-minute extravaganza that pairs some of Jackson’s most popular songs with Cirque du Soleil’s signature touches―acrobats performing feats in midair that would seem impossible even on the ground while contorting their bodies like human Gumby toys.
接下来为观众呈现的是一场为时90分钟的大型娱乐演出，它既展现了杰克逊最流行的部分金曲，又融合了太阳马戏团标志性的风格――令人叹为观止的空中杂技表演。演员一边在半空中表演着高难度的杂技(这些动作即使是在平地上，也近乎不可能完成)，一边像绿色粘土动画人物冈比(Gumby)一样，扭动着柔韧的身体。
Jackson tops FORBES’ annual Halloween-spooky list of the top-earning dead celebrities with $160 million, better than any living musician. One is quickly becoming a key part of that financial picture, and not just because of its direct impact on the Jackson estate’s bottom line.
随着万圣节的临近，《福布斯》也推出了本年度的“已故明星收入榜”，杰克逊以1.6亿美元的年收入傲居榜首，超过了任何在世的音乐人。《独一无二》正迅速成为一项重要的收入来源，这不仅仅是因为它对杰克逊遗产的营收有着直接影响。
“The most important thing for the estate of a deceased performer is keeping his or her name or persona in front of the public, ” says entertainment attorney Donald David, whose résumé includes representing the postmortem interests of late rapper Tupac Shakur. “They are no longer here to give performances or interviews … thus, the secret is to keep the deceased star in the public’s mind.”
“对于已故艺人遗产来说，最重要的就是要让他们的名字和形象继续处于公众的眼前。”娱乐律师唐纳德•戴维(Donald David)表示。戴维有着丰富的从业经验，是已故饶舌歌手图派克•夏库尔(Tupac Shakur)的代理律师，代表着夏库尔的身后利益。“他们已经不能再上台表演，也不能接受采访……因此，秘诀就是让已故明星继续活在公众的心中。”
With its posters plastered all over Las Vegas, One seems to be doing exactly that. The show should also play a major role in generating income for the estate in the coming years. How much, exactly, is difficult to pinpoint―data provider Pollstar doesn’t track the grosses of Vegas shows. (“Casinos frequently comp significant parts of the house to high-rollers and that distorts sales stats, ” says Gary Bongiovanni, the outfit’s president and editor-in-chief.)
《独一无二》似乎恰恰践行了这一理念，其演出海报在拉斯维加斯的大街小巷随处可见。在未来几年内，该演出应该也会成为杰克逊遗产的主要创收力量。至于具体能够带来多大的收入，我们难以预测――权威的数据来源、演唱会行业杂志《Pollstar》并没有追踪 《独一无二》的票房数据。“娱乐场总是会给大客户赠送大量门票，这一点会歪曲销售数据。”杂志社社长及主编加里•邦乔瓦尼(Gary Bongiovanni)表示。
Even so, FORBES estimates that One is capable of grossing between $150, 000 and $250, 000 for a sold-out show; that figure doubles on nights with two performances. And when the show made its official Vegas debut this summer, it gave Jackson the remarkable ability to tour in two places at the same time.
即便如此，《福布斯》估计，《独一无二》单场演出在门票售罄的情况下，能够带来15万到25万美元的收入;如果一夜有两场演出，这一数据还会增加一倍。今年夏天，《独一无二》的全球首演在拉斯维加斯隆重开幕，首演收入足以让杰克逊在两地同时举办巡演。
empire is the Michael Jackson Immortal world tour, also a joint venture between the estate and Cirque. The show has been crisscrossing the globe since late 2011 and recently topped the $300 million mark for gross tickets sales, winning the Creative Content honor at last year’s Billboard Touring Awards as well.
《迈克尔•杰克逊：不朽传奇》世界巡演(Michael Jackson Immortal world tour)是杰克逊身后演出帝国的另一大收入来源，和《独一无二》一样它也是由杰克逊遗产管理委员会和太阳马戏团携手打造。自2011年末以来，“不朽传奇世界巡演”已在全球各地火热进行，总票房收入近来已突破3亿美元的大关，同时斩获了去年“公告牌巡演奖”(Billboard Touring Awards)的“创意内容奖”(Creative Content)。
One and Immortal were conceived at the same time, the product of conversations between Jackson’s estate and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, who pushed to launch the traveling show first and follow with the Vegas show. He and Jackson estate co-executor John Branca tapped Jamie King, who got his start as a dancer on Jackson’s Dangerous tour, to write and direct both productions.
《独一无二》和《不朽传奇》是在同一时期构思出来的，它们是杰克逊遗产管理委员会与太阳马戏团的创始人盖•拉里伯特(Guy Laliberté)之间对话沟通的产物，在拉里伯特的推动下，双方先推出了巡演，后又举办了拉斯维加斯的驻场表演。拉里伯特和杰克逊遗产管理委员会的共同执行人约翰•布兰卡(John Branca)任命了杰米•金(Jamie King)来担任《不朽传奇》和《独一无二》的创作和导演。杰米•金是舞者出身，在杰克逊的《危险之旅》(Dangerous tour)世界巡演中开始了登台表演。
Unlike Immortal, however, One got its own permanent home in Vegas. That meant a chance for additional overhead daredevilry―acrobats moonwalking up the walls, for example―and opened the door for audiovisual extravagances including floor-to-ceiling video screens on either side of the stage and speakers in and around every single seat.
不过，与《不朽传奇》不同，《独一无二》是设在拉斯维加斯的驻场表演，演出剧场是专门定制的，这样的安排一方面给空中杂技表演留下了充分的施展空间――比如，可以让杂技演员走太空步上墙，另一方面也能通过超强的硬件，给观众带来令人震撼的视听体验。比如，舞台两侧均设有从地面到天花板的巨大显示屏，每一个座位的内部和周围都配备了扬声器。
“There’s nothing better than being handed the keys to a brand-new Bentley, right?” says King. “This was a perfect opportunity for me to work with my design team and craft a show for a theater designed for this show.”
“(有了定制的剧场)，就好拿到了一台崭新的宾利(Bentley)汽车的钥匙。没有什么比这更美妙了，不是吗?”杰米•金说，“这是一个绝佳的机会，可以让我与设计团队集思广益，充分利用定制剧场创作一场演出。”
The “Stranger in Moscow” sequence toward the beginning of the show is among the best examples of this. A single acrobat climbs a silk rope and performs a lengthy series of twists and flips, his movements so effortless it seems he’s surrounded by water rather than air. Meanwhile, snowflakes improbably descend from the ceiling, seemingly evaporating before they hit the ground.
定制剧场的优势在《独一无二》的许多场景中得到了充分体现，比如演出开始时的《莫斯科的陌生人》(Stranger in Moscow)。在这一幕中，一名杂技演员爬上了一根丝绳，给观众带来了一长段柔体杂技和空翻表演。他的动作轻松自如，仿佛身处水中而非空中。与此同时，雪花奇迹般地从天花板上簌簌飘落，似乎在到达地面以前就已经蒸发得无影无踪。
There are plenty of other jaw droppers: a “Thriller” sequence where performers in zombie costumes bounce back and forth between a trampoline on the ground and another 20 feet above it (or up to an even higher ledge); and later, to the tune of “Dirty Diana, ” a dance routine where a lady in red gyrates up and down a 30-foot pole.
《独一无二》中还有许多令人瞠目结舌的表演场景：在《颤栗》中，演员身穿僵尸服，在地面和20英尺高的两张蹦床之间上下翻腾(有时还会跳上一座更高的跳台);此后，《肮脏的戴安娜》(Dirty Diana)呈现的则是一段舞蹈动作，一名身着红衣的舞以一根30英尺的撑杆为支柱上下旋转。
Though the storyline stringing the sequences together can be tenuous at times―the show follows four youngsters as they zip from scene to disparate scene, imbued with mystical powers from Jackson’s shoes, sunglasses, fedora and trademark white glove―the plot isn’t the point.
尽管串场的故事情节有时候显得颇为单薄――不过更多精彩还在后面。四名年轻舞者登上了舞台，他们切换了多种表演场景，全方位地展现出杰克逊的舞鞋、太阳镜、费多拉帽和标志性的白手套散发出来的神秘力量――故事情节并不重要。
At its core, One is a flying, twisting, twirling rock concert. Each scene brings yet another feat of eye-popping physical prowess, another classic Jackson song, another set of oohs and ahhs from the crowd. Ultimately, that means more cash for his estate’s coffers. Says David: “I can virtually guarantee you that every guest [at One] is going to buy a Michael Jackson album at the very least.”
从本质上讲，《独一无二》是一场集合了飞天、柔体、旋转等杂技表演的摇滚音乐会。它的每一个场景都是一场无与伦比的视听盛宴，都是杰克逊经典名曲精彩呈现，都能让现场的观众啧啧称奇。这一切最终都能更加充盈杰克逊的遗产金库。戴维表示：“我几乎可以向你打保票，《独一无二》现场的每一位观众都会受到震撼，他们看完演出后至少会去买一张杰克逊的专辑。”
Having a permanent theater also enables the inclusion of the show’s most crucial performer: Michael Jackson. More accurately, a hologram-like illusion that looks and moves like the King of Pop appears and performs “Man In The Mirror” right there with the rest of the show’s dancers toward the end of the show.
打造定制剧场还有助于引入一名最重要的演员：迈克尔•杰克逊。更准确地说，是类似于全息影像的错觉，这一全息影像无论在相貌和举止上都与流行音乐之王毫无二致，让观众误以为迈克尔•杰克逊真的站在舞台上，与其他舞者一起表演《镜中之人》(Man In The Mirror)，直到演出落幕。
“The cool thing is that kids who didn’t grow up with Michael are now discovering his genius and legacy … his spirit is with us, ” says King. “And his music will live forever.”
“了不起的是，即使是在成长过程中没有见证过舞王风范的孩子们，现在也能领略到迈克尔的天才和艺术遗产……他的精神与我们同在，”杰米•金表示，“他的音乐会传承永续。”
It seems his hefty earnings will, too.
看起来，杰克逊的庞大收入也会传承永续。
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