The Michael Jackson musical has found its King of Pop.

Ephraim Sykes, a limber-legged, scene-stealing, Tony-nominated performer in “Ain’t Too Proud,” will jump from one jukebox musical to another when he stars in “MJ the Musical,” which is scheduled to open on Broadway next summer.

Sykes, a 34-year-old from St. Petersburg, Fla., is a gifted dancer who was trained at the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University B.F.A. program, toured with the Ailey II company for two years, and this year was named the outstanding male dancer in a Broadway show at the Chita Rivera Awards, which honor dance in theater and film.

He has appeared in six Broadway musicals, beginning as a replacement member of the ensemble in “The Little Mermaid,” and he was a member of the original Broadway cast of “Hamilton.” In “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations” he has his first major role, portraying David Ruffin, who was one of the group’s lead singers.

“MJ the Musical” arrives at a challenging time for the pop singer’s legacy, which has been tarnished by renewed allegations that he sexually abused young boys. But he remains acknowledged as one of the greatest American pop artists ever; his songs continue to be ubiquitous and his fan base intense, and the musical’s producers, after canceling a pre-Broadway run in Chicago, have determinedly pushed toward a Broadway opening.