After an hour of well-concentrated practice, Madam Tussauds was a congested discotheque with even staff members and publicists unbuttoning their cardigans and adding to the body count.
IT STARTED IN 1983 with just a cinematic hex of thirteen minutes. From the mob of hell-cloaked zombies, to the petrified damsel, to a certain jheri curled antagonist, Michael Jackson’s epic music video for "Thriller" has held a lasting grip on just about every existing being. Halloween Eve proved no different as corpse-clad fans from near and far crowded into the lobby of Time Square’s Madame Tussauds Wax Museum with one particular goal in mind : Break the Guinness World Record for the number of people to perform the "Thriller" choreography simultaneously. Needless to say, folks got busy.
Ranging from flecks of bi-focaled seniors to batches of mid-80s babies, MJ fans crept into the museum at 8 a.m., donning battered DIY ensembles, resembling that of the Grammy award-winning video. “Zombie bars” were also on set for an extra kiss of death, where eager make-up artists dove in on any bare skin missing a ghastly layer of funk. After a quick meet and greet between partakers, iced with a BK duo's eerie double-jointed dance impromptu, it was time to get serious. Well, sort of.
“Hey girl! Hey girl! Hey girl,” was not the most expected dance shout-out for an M. Jack production, but this was just one of the many ebullient titles the young Crunch Fitness instructor hollered while rehearsing "Thriller’s" signature moves. One zombie, two zombies, three zombies, fifty. As the choreography lengthened with each eight count, more curious passersby joined in and strengthened the MJ cluster.
But something was missing. Where were the sparkling gloves? The scarlet jackets? Where were the Jacksons? Parting the crowd of the dead – and subsequently receiving the most camera attention – were three Michael posers (one for each phase) holding down a friendly super-spin and pelvic thrust competition. Nearby, the waxed out Michael Jackson statue stood seemingly proud.
AFTER AN HOUR OF WELL-CONCENTRATED PRACTICE, Madam Tussauds was a congested discotheque with even staff members and publicists unbuttoning their cardigans and adding to the body count. The number to beat was Toronto’s lucky 62-set in 2006, and with a minute before performance time, it was announced that the collage of zombies, media professionals, MJ impersonators, and snoopy tourists, had pushed the record to 73.
Everyone roared. Only catch - many reported today that the record was already shattered by 147 UK students this past August…
It may not have been a fairy-tale ending at Madam Tussauds, but there wasn’t quite a cheery close to "Thriller" either. That should be enough to make everyone a winner.
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