Anna Burnside reviews a performance ‘with a hi-energy bit of nonsense that will delight’.
Last year’s hit musical about artistic rivalry in Renaissance Florence is back and waiting for a sugar daddy producer to make it an international hit.
The story of childhood pals Mike and Leo - Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci - is to history what Dolmio is to Nonna’s secret recipe ragu. That does not mean it’s not a lot of fun.
The references come thick and fast, with nods to everything from Machiavelli’s The Prince to the Mona Lisa. There’s a running joke about Marisa Tomei and an art show - sorry networking event - featuring Jeff Koons’ Puppy and one of Yayoi Kusama’s pumpkins. The friar, a pantomime baddy figure, gets non-stop shade for wearing a Shein dress. It could not be camper if it included a Boy Scout jamboree.
Pop Off, Michelangelo! mashes up two current musical trends - rewriting history and leaning into the form’s camp following - and comes up with a hi-energy bit of nonsense that will delight people who already like that sort of thing. It’s possibly too slight for a wider mainstream audience.
Pop Off, Michelangelo! Performs at Underbelly George Square (Udderbelly) until August 25, 2025.
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