If the 90s had a soundtrack to growing up, it would sound a lot like The Day I Met MJ – 90s Hits! – a joyful, high-energy throwback that feels like opening a dusty box of old CDs, diaries and teenage memories, both totally awesome and somewhat cringey haha. Fronted by powerhouse, (self proclaimed) pocket-rocket performer Michaela Burger, the show spins a vibrant mix of storytelling and pop nostalgia, built around the real-life moment she met Michael Jackson and the musical era that shaped a generation.

Burger takes the stage greeting us from the back of the venue and us, the audience, are pulled into a warm, slightly cheeky time warp – back to the days of Video Hits, Smash Hits Magazine, late-night sessions with Rage and singing into hairbrushes like we were auditioning for our own living-room music video (don’t lie, we all did it). The show is packed with beloved anthems from the decade – think Alanis, Madonna, Oasis, No Doubt and plenty more – delivered with a live band and the kind of vocals that soar well above simple tribute territory. Michaela knows her biz.

Burger’s voice is the engine of the whole production: bold, expressive and killer playful, with the kind of range that freakin’ makes each track feel freshly recharged rather than hum-drum recycled nostalgia. Backed by tight musicianship from music director Shanon D Whitelock on keys and Kyrie Anderson on drums, the sound is polished but still full of Fringe-style raw edgy personality.

What elevates the show beyond a jukebox setlist is Burger’s storytelling. Between the hits she unpacks the messy, funny and sometimes cringeworthy rites of passage of being a 90s teenager – schoolyard crushes, fan-girl dreams and the kind of diary entries you pray nobody ever finds again. We, the audience, don’t just watch the show; we collectively relive their own teenage soundtrack, and frankly Michaela set-list nailed mine to a fine art.

The result is a big, cheery and joyful sing-along wrapped in a personal coming-of-age story. It’s funny, heartfelt and packed with enough pop hooks to keep the energy bubbling from start to finish. And yes, somewhere in that mix is the moment Burger actually met the King of Pop – the spark that sets the whole story in motion.

Wrap-up: The Day I Met MJ – 90s Hits! is pure Fringe joy — a glittering love letter to the decade of mixtapes, pop idols and unforgettable choruses. If the 90s ever lived rent-free in your heart, this show lets you move back in for an hour and dance around the lounge room again. You’ll want to see this banger of a show twice, just for the fun – Michaela Burger is not my lover, she’s just a girl who can say she met MJ. He He! (and insert crotch grab). I LOVED and ached for every single second of it.