Jan 24

Jan 24 FRINGE REVIEW: "MILLENNIAL: Hits of the 90s & 00s" is pure, unapologetic fun

Look, I'm a millennial.

I am almost always feeling tired, have recently got way too excited about reorganising my pantry, and my most-played artists for 2025 include the Sugababes and *NSYNC.

It's a Wednesday evening, and I want to stay reading on the couch, but I promised myself that I would go to more Fringe shows this year. The second I line up for the Liberty Theatre, I know I've made the right decision. Bright colours, tinsel décor, and a line of women excitedly debating which songs they're looking forward to. My people. There was a brief hiccup in the line where cockroaches emerged from a neighbouring building and flew at us in what appeared to be a coordinated attack, but this pre-show bonding brought the line ladies closer together (Shout out to the brave soul who stomped on one of the more aggressive soldiers, she was truly the hero of the hour).

When the show begins, I am brought back into the past. Lisa Woodbrook takes the stage with her two very talented backup dancers (Ash Perrie and Jesse Waghorn), all wearing silver space-suit costumes. It takes a song or two for the audience to build up the confidence to join in, but with Lisa's encouragement, everyone is singing along (and a few dancing). I challenge any millennial woman to listen to “Stop” by the Spice Girls without doing the dance moves. Lisa belted out hit after hit, with some jokes in between to keep the laughs coming, reminding us of the joys of MSN Messenger and flip phones. Her vocal range is impressive, pulling off songs by Celine Dion, Cher, Britney Spears, and the Backstreet Boys with powerhouse energy. The costume changes were fun, and the choreography featured exciting stunts that complemented the energy of the songs.

There's something comforting about being in a room full of people who all know every word to the same songs. The audience wasn’t all millennials, but the absurdity of Crazy Frog united us across generations.

MILLENNIAL taps into that shared nostalgia without being overly sentimental. It's just pure, unapologetic fun. I left the show feeling lighter, albeit with a slightly hoarse throat from singing along. The show may have lacked the Sugababes, but when I headed home at a respectable 9 pm, I found myself searching for a So Fresh playlist. I’ve been listening to it all day, thanks, Lisa.