Despite being a lifelong Michael Jackson fan, I’ve never wanted to see an impersonator. No one can truly capture his charisma, dance moves, or unmistakable vocals—and don’t even get me started on his speaking voice. After being scarred by that awful 2000s biopic, the idea of someone attempting to ‘be’ Michael has always been a turnoff.

But something felt different when I heard MJ the Musical was coming to Sydney. The four-time Tony Award-winning show, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon, has already conquered Broadway and the West End. As of 2025, it’s one of the highest-grossing musicals ever. If there was ever a production that could get it right, it was this one. 

And they truly did.

MJ the Musical is a “jukebox” musical, meaning that while it has a story throughout, it’s more of a way to bring Michael’s biggest and best hits to the stage. I didn’t realise it until tonight, but Michael’s music was made for the stage. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” practically begs for jazz hands and tap dancing, while “Thriller” is the ultimate showstopper.

Jukebox musicals can be hit-and-miss; sometimes it feels like they’re just a mashup of songs with no throughline, but MJ the Musical is set at the start of Michael’s Dangerous Tour in 1992, with flashbacks throughout his career interspersed.  There’s a fictional (and slightly cheesy) side-plot created for the musical about Michael struggling to pay for the tour and having to put Neverland up for a mortgage, as well as a nefarious MTV reporter lurking on the sidelines, hoping to get the scoop before she realises Michael is more than the King of Pop.

The real joy lies in watching Michael’s career unfold over the years. From his performance of “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” during an elementary school event to the formative years of the Jackson 5. The musical highlights his struggles with Joseph Jackson’s abuse and control, followed by the Victory Tour, the life-altering Pepsi burn incident, and finally, his record-breaking night at the Grammys for the “Thriller” album.

Though the musical essentially stops at the start of the Dangerous era, I loved the way the show managed to tie in some of Michael’s later songs, including tracks from HIStory like “They Don’t Care About Us,” “Money,” and “2 Bad.”  There was also a surprising refrain from his unreleased track, “Price of Fame,” which fit perfectly throughout the show as Michael grappled with the downsides of his immense popularity.

Visually, the set is just as impressive as the music. The original set—a bare-bones, industrial rehearsal studio—transforms seamlessly into the bright lights of the Motown era and, later, the eerie graveyard of the “Thriller” music video. I audibly gasped during each transition, especially during the zombie-filled spectacle of “Thriller.”

But while the music takes centre stage, the show doesn’t shy away from the pressures Michael faces behind the scenes.

It’s hard to do anything related to Michael Jackson without addressing the accusations, and while the musical doesn’t focus heavily on it, they’re still mentioned; it would be weird to pretend they weren’t happening, particularly in this period.  The rumours of the accusations, Michael’s press conference surrounding them, and other gossip from the time (“Michael, do you sleep in a hyperbaric chamber?” is asked several times) help build pressure. They illustrate how much scrutiny Michael was going through at the time.

As a passionate fan, I find it touching and equally infuriating how the musical humanises Michael. During an interview with the MTV host, Michael answers very adamantly that he has vitiligo and didn’t bleach his skin, that he’s had a nose job—but who hasn’t in Hollywood?—and that his childhood was difficult. The scene plays out almost identically to Michael’s 1993 Oprah Winfrey interview.

The only difference is that now, more than 30 years on, the audience is finally asked to believe Michael. To trust when he tells us he’s suffering from a skin condition he can’t control, to empathise when his father shows up towards the end as a literal villain from the “Thriller” music video, and to cry with him as his life spirals out of control.

But the whole thing makes me bitter because Michael Jackson was a real person who went through these very real and traumatic things—and he told us about it then. The world turned it into more tabloid fodder.  Where was the sympathy for his condition then?  Why did people make his relationship with his abusive father the punchline of their jokes?  Why was it okay for every late-night host to mock his surgeries, his skin, everything about him?

I’m glad we’re at a place now where we can examine and appreciate Michael, not just as a musician but as a person. But I wish we had a long time ago—when he asked us to see him when he was still alive.

Though the musical can’t rewrite history, I couldn’t help but feel sad and bitter as the audience gasped when Joseph hit Michael for the first time. Where was the empathy and outrage in the 1990s?

Moral dilemmas aside, the main reason the musical was fantastic was the lead stars in the Sydney run.

Roman Banks (who performed on Broadway in Dear Evan Hansen and appeared in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) is genuinely impressive. He doesn’t merely imitate Michael; he truly embodies him, reminding us of the real man in the mirror.

Banks’ singing voice is transcendent- just as electrifying as Michael’s, and he hits every “hee hee” and “shamone” as if he’s spent his whole life preparing for this role.  He moonwalks across the stage nearly as perfectly as Michael did, and though his crotch grabs weren’t as punchy as Michael’s were, there were times I felt like I was truly seeing the real thing. Banks even managed to get Michael’s speaking voice down without sounding like a bad parody (still giving a side-eye to you, Flex Alexander).

All the Michaels were excellent, especially Liam Damons as 80s Michael, who perfectly captured one of my favourite eras, nailing Michael’s speaking voice and mannerisms. Young Michael, played by the adorable Charlie Batchelor in his theatre debut, had the whole audience in the palm of his tiny hand. A special shout-out is deserved for Josslynn Hlenti Afoa (Nala in the touring show of The Lion King), who brought the house down during her solos as Katherine Jackson.

Overall, MJ the Musical is a delight for Michael Jackson fans, young and old, new and seasoned. While the story isn’t the strongest, the music weaves together perfectly through the highs and lows of Michael’s life. It felt like the next best thing to seeing Michael live, and I’m already thinking about when I can go and see it again.