
Created by Dylan MarcAurele
Directed by Joe McNeice
Review by Annie Aslett
Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose: Tickets
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
An interesting concept. Genuinely funny jokes. Truly great original songs. Slick staging. Even one triple-threat cast member. Most musicals at the Fringe are lucky to have two of these ingredients. Pop Off, Michelangelo proudly boasts all five (and the whole cast are triple threats).
Created by Dylan MarcAurele and directed by Joe McNeice, Pop Off, Michelangelo tells the story of childhood besties Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, both gay but trying to hide it as they master their crafts during the Italian Renaissance (which only narrowly edges out Beyonce’s 2022 masterpiece as best Renaissance, according to the Book of Mormon-esque intro). The music is described as ‘electropop’, perfectly accentuated by the dramatic vogueing accompanying the more upbeat numbers. MarcAurele’s score also boasts some thoughtful ballads that manage to toe a line between poignant and hilarious that very few comedy musicals ever perfect. Comedy permeates every line of the show, whether spoken or sung; MarcAurele’s script is stuffed full of jokes and pop culture references, from Mean Girls to Drag Race to Gaga and Cher (and even a Batman line for the straights in the crowd).
Each person on stage is performing for their life. Everyone can sing, everyone can act, everyone can dance. Everyone is selling the humour in the tightly written script. Everyone is confident enough to be self-aware and tongue-in-cheek, making the audience feel part of the ‘totally historically accurate’ ridiculousness happening on stage. It cannot be emphasized enough how much of a joy this show is to watch, and this is in no small part due to the utter commitment of its cast.
It is truly a shock to discover that this is Max Eade’s (Michelangelo) professional debut; Eade feels so at home on the stage, delivering a rich and soulful vocal, enthusiastic in portraying both Michelangelo’s joy and pain. Eade combines the profound earnestness of Ben Platt, the vocal dexterity of Ben Platt and the mullet of Ben Platt, infusing an energy and comedic edge that’s all his own. Aidan Maccoll is his Leonardo; pure funny oozes from Maccoll’s first word, the Scottish accent so wrong for da Vinci but somehow so right. Also, has anyone ever delivered such a side-splitting performance of anguish? Unlikely. You’d be forgiven for assuming (as I did) that Maccoll must just be the genius funny guy that they managed to get for this comedy musical, who’ll now proceed to talk-sing their way through the songs. Nope! A truly classy musical theatre voice cements this actor in a class of their own.
Not content to stick to the sidelines, the rest of the cast do their level best to steal the spotlight from our two leads, each sparkling in every scene and more than matching the talent and energy of their co-stars. Sylvie Stenson is mind-bogglingly good (another genuine triple threat, people), her character acting second to none as she throws herself into the role of antagonist Savonarola. Paul Toulson gets some of the campest roles (or is this a chicken/egg situation); vivacity and flair characterize this performer’s style – bonus points to Toulson for the most committed poses that full-stop each upbeat musical number. Joe Winter is utterly adorable as Salai, Leonardo’s love interest, which only serves to up the comedic impact as he delivers some of the show’s bluer lines. Rounding out the cast is swing Conn Mcgirr, whose fantastic vocal runs at the beginning of the show didn’t get the appreciation they deserved from the audience.
There are not enough superlatives to show how good this show is. As a polite modern theatregoer, this is one of the only *genuine* standing ovations I’ve ever felt moved to give, blown away as I was by the talent on stage and behind. This is a rare gem, a production whose content and performers all need to be whisked onto the world’s biggest stages to take this explosion of feel-good queer art to as many people as possible. With less than a week left to see Pop Off at the Fringe, do not miss your chance to see the world premiere of a show that is bound to go stratospheric.
A Perfect Show For Families
Pop Off, Michelangelo runs at Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose, Edinburgh, until August 26th.
Running time – One hour without an interval
Photo credit – Steve Ullathorne
Review by Annie Aslett (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Annie is a not-so-recent graduate of the University of Edinburgh with a degree in French and Spanish, along with a Masters in Translation from the University of Glasgow. A Spanish teacher for three years, she decided to leave the classroom behind to pursue personal goals and has since been regularly reviewing for Corr Blimey’s Glaswegian wing.Annie is a life-long lover of musical theatre, whose childhood performances included a rousing production of Snow White in The Hall and a heartfelt rendition of Go, Go, Go Joseph in The Living Room.
