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“Pop Off, Michelangelo!” at the Underbelly Boulevard Soho

As success at last year’s Edinburgh Festival, and an eight-week run in London shows, Dylan MarcAurele’s musical is a solid fringe hit. It’s a high-camp romp about Renaissance artists Michelangelo and Leonardo, with a lot of laughs, catchy songs and plenty of fun.

Reframing the Renaissance has been fashionable for a long time, with contemporary references and viewpoints adding an edge. It’s easy to think of connections to Six, and the opening number here enforces that impression. But Pop Off, Michelangelo! is aimed at an adult crowd. And, it seems fair to say, a crowd of gay men. So many of the references are about (one kind of) gay culture that the show starts to parody itself. Jokes about RuPaul’s Drag Race and ‘internet boyfriends’ abound. But MarcAurele knows his market and delivers… or should that be slays?

There is a message, or rather a statement, about how painful homophobia can be. Our heroes, played by Max Eade and Aidan MacColl, meet when they’re young and scared about being gay. Their sexuality threatens their lives and careers. What passes as a plot is their plan of working for the Pope and then persuading him to save them from hell. Written down, it’s sad as well as silly. So, credit to director Joe McNeice and his cast for keeping the energy and the atmosphere up, up, up.

There are reservations around the show. It’s not that the jokes are rude, but that that they don’t all land. Nor are the songs and lyrics bad, but the quality is inconsistent. MarcAurele appreciates the need for a good villain and gives us Sixtus, Savonarola and Machiavelli. But despite the efforts of Michael Marouli, Laura Sillett and Sev Keoshgerian, who all work very hard, these baddies need more time and more depth.

More heartfelt moments make a neat contrast with all the foolery. Leonardo’s romance with a fellow pupil at the Platonic Academy (a role Kurran Dhand gets a lot from) is sweet, and there’s good song for the two of them. Putting an emphasis on friendship, rather than romance, gives the show potential standout. Eade and MacColl make their characters endearing and have good chemistry.

There are crazy touches, too, often welcome in a musical, including Leonardo’s vision of Marisa Tomei (leading to number that allows Maiya Quansah-Breed to shine). Surprises sustain the madcap energy but, at just over an hour long, it’s hard not to find it all a bit slight (short musicals are a tough ask). Maybe the show should be viewed as part of a bigger night out – something that sets the mood for fun? Pop Off, Michelangelo! returns to Edinburgh this year, and could well be around again soon.

Until 13 July 2025

www.popoffmichelangelo.com

2018

“Six” at the Arts Theatre

The so-bonkers-it’s-brilliant idea of Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss is to resurrect the wives of Henry VIII as a Spice Girls-style pop group in concert. The show’s hit status on the Edinburgh fringe and transfer to London as part of a tour confirms the concept’s appeal for many. And, if it sounds like a bad premise to you, trust me, think again and go.

From the start, a performance worthy of a crown from Jarneia Richard-Noel as Catherine of Aragon, with a Spanish beat, of course, will have you hooked. There’s a funny turn from Alexia McIntosh as a blingy Anne of Cleves and soulful sounds from Maiya Quansah-Breed to revel in. Marlow and Moss take pop seriously. And even if you find the music simplistic and derivative (yes, there is a riff on Greensleeves), it is effective and shockingly catchy.

The lyrics are sharp, smart and pun-packed. Getting the word ‘annulment’ in a song deserves a salute, making a rhyme for Leviticus requires a full genuflection in homage. The mismatch of history and contemporary references gets laughs from start to finish – the House of Holbein techno number had me in stiches. But note: the song for Katherine Howard, performed with gusto by Aimie Atkinson, tells a tale in text-book musical theatre style. Marlow and Moss really know what they are doing.

As well as the concert format, which clearly enthused the many teens in the audience, there’s another framing device used to ‘overthrow’ history as we know it. While the music is Eurovision, the idea is of a tasteless X Factor-style competition over which Queen should be favourite. And shame on me, I fell for it! As is stated, we all have our favourite, so the lovely ballad for Jane Seymour, beautifully performed by Natalie Paris, seems a naive view of the character. And a ditsy Anne Boleyn, while made nice and spikey by Millie O’Connell, surely doesn’t really do justice to Henry’s most political spouse?

Of course, the twist is that ranking victimhood is part of the problem and isn’t a game anyone wins. That Marlow and Moss use their remix of history to make a point so relevant to the present is their crowning achievement. Introducing some fantasy for a finale means the show ends jubilantly, as well as reminding us that these women’s lives were not happy. Add this intelligence to a score and sense of humour that show such promise and Six becomes very exciting indeed. There isn’t a bad song here and they crowd the mind to be recalled – surely the best thing you can say about any musical. This trip to the past shows an exciting future for its creative team.

Until 23 September

www.sixthemusical.com

Photo by Idil Sukan/Draw HQ