Review: Pop Off, Michelangelo!

Before Beyoncé’s era-defining Renaissance, there was another fairly important Renaissance, the cast of Pop Off, Michelangelo! tell the audience. And it’s here we find our protagonists, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, who also happen to be hiding the truth about their sexuality. Their answer to keeping God on their side? Become the greatest religious artists of all time. 

Dylan MarcAurele’s colourful new musical follows the childhood best friends as they navigate the perilous waters of art school, where the Medici family are the equivalent of Regina George. The cast (pictured above), who play characters including the Pope, Mona Lisa and Marisa Tomei, are seamless as an ensemble, providing the ultimate mix of camp and casual blasphemy as they lead us through Mike and Leo’s lives as secretly gay artists on the rise. Despite being set in Renaissance Italy, there are pop culture references throughout, from RuPaul’s Drag Race quotes to Elle Woods’ sperm emission argument in Legally Blonde, which sit hilariously next to mentions of art history. 

Pop Off, Michelangelo! is one of the silliest and most unserious musicals you’ll catch at the Fringe but there is an underlying layer of sincerity in its message of shunning judgement for acceptance and love. This, coupled with its high energy, dancefloor-ready bangers, make it a joyously queer experience with tunes that you’ll be singing for days.