Pop Off, Michelangelo! ★★★ The Other Palace | November 4 & 5, 2024


This amazingly ahistorical romp imagines a friendship between Renaissance artists, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. It presents the pair as gay friends who go to the same school and eventually develop an artistic rivalry. Other figures from the period like Raphael and Savonarola are also woven into the surreal story which delights in anachronisms and has some sharply amusing commentary on the Catholic Church, the art world and the challenges of being gay in a homophobic society. Songs like "When You Met Your Son Jesus," "Networking Event," and "Drawn To You" have some very funny and very clever lyrics. Nevertheless, Pop Off, Michelangelo! still seems like a work in progress. Even for a spoof some of the characters are very thin and the book needs development. When one compares the show to a pop historical musical like Six or the equally irreverent The Book of Mormon, it feels as if the fundamentals may be present, but there is still lots of work to be done. The current cast headed by Max Eade as Michelangelo and Aidan MacColl as Leonardo bring lots of enthusiasm and an infectious energy to their roles while Director, Joe McNeice, sets a nicely manic pace. Ironically, the Royal Academy of Arts is currently mounting an exhibition which looks at the work and interaction of Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. If you were looking for a historical perspective on the trio, that is definitely an option. However, if you'd prefer some hilariously unreal dish on these boys, you need to catch Pop Off, Michelangelo!

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Steve Ullathorne

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When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: 12 Palace St, London SW1E 5JA, UK

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