If you asked me to describe my dream show, I’d probably tell you it would be a musical, with stupidly clever comedy, and plenty of niche pop culture references. Luckily for me, The Other Palace is serving up a shining example of this with Dylan MarcAurele’s Pop Off, Michelangelo!, directed by Joe McNeice.
An unashamedly untrue retelling of how Renaissance artists Michelangelo (Max Eade) and Leonardo Da Vinci (Aidan MacColl) became frenemies, this show introduces us to the pair as young pals who soon realise they have something in common: they’re both gay, but can’t live as their truest selves out of fear of punishment by the church.
Figuring out their simplest route to divine forgiveness is to win over someone who has a direct line to the big man himself, the friends head to art school in the hopes of an eventual commission from — and kinship with — the Pope.
It’s a genius concept that MarcAurele executes marvellously through a laugh-a-minute (to be more accurate, many-laughs-a-minute) script and effervescently catchy musical numbers, with the six-piece cast bringing suitably big and bold energy. That being said, something felt a bit off with the sound during this particular performance, with the cast’s (very strong) vocals occasionally being drowned out by the thumping backing tracks.
MarcAurele has an unbelievable talent for writing pop-tastic tunes that are full of heart but also biblical proportions of wit. An especially memorable example is “Drawn To You”, an inspired reimagining of the painting of the Mona Lisa. In this number, Leonardo and fellow queer student Salai liken their magnetic attraction to that of “Barry Keoghan to a grave” or “a child to a vape”.
Speaking of vaping, Paul Toulson makes a delightful appearance as an Elf Bar-chuffing Pope who’s more eager to spend his time listening to Bon Iver on half speed and bemoaning his unsightly ceiling than actually practising Catholicism.
His devoted and pathetically devious friar Savanarola, played by Lucy Carter, is another scene stealer. With the show currently running at a lean 75 minutes, there’s absolutely scope to expand and include a few more songs, with Savanarola feeling particularly robbed of a comedic villain anthem.
Anchoring the show are Eade and MacColl who delight as Michelangelo and Leonardo, showcasing the warm friendship that begins to curdle as the pair each take different approaches to seeking societal acceptance. They’ve got great comedic chemistry and riff off each other hilariously.
Pop Off, Michelangelo!’s commitment to being entirely historically inaccurate also shows itself in the countless pop culture and internet references that colour the script and score, but they somehow work alongside the intelligent period-specific jokes to create a Frankenstein’s monster of zany comedy.
In addition to the infectious original tunes, a couple of pop songs are sprinkled in there, but with varying degrees of effectiveness. While SOPHIE’s ‘Immaterial’ is contextualised perfectly, SZA’s ‘Shirt’ feels less so.
Pop Off, Michelangelo! has all the makings of a new cult theatre classic. Songs that’ll stick in your head? Absolutely. High camp comedy? Tick. One of the most sensational final lines of dialogue I’ve heard in recent memory? 100%.
Reviewer: Olivia Cox
Reviewed: 4th November 2024
North West End UK Rating: