Pop Off, Michelangelo! is a musical comedy about Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, two best friends growing up in Florence who decide to become the greatest religious artists of all time so that God will forgive them for being gay. With a pop-infused score and nods to cultural icons from RuPaul’s Drag Race to Mean Girls, the show is a blend of high camp and historical chic.
Q&A with Dylan MarcAurele
How does it feel to be making your debut at Edinburgh Fringe?
It’s like a dream, I’m super excited. I’ve never been to the Fringe before so it will be an entirely new experience, but it feels like the perfect place to premiere Pop Off, Michelangelo!
What can you tell us about your show and its inspiration?
I went to Italy with my husband in 2022 for our honeymoon. We saw the David sculpture, and our tour guide told us all about how tortured Michelangelo was—gay, deeply religious, self-disciplined to an extreme —in comparison to his artistic rival, Leonardo Da Vinci—also gay, but who lived more freely, wore pink tights, wrote backwards, etc. I then finally saw Wicked for the first time (a bootleg, of course) and thought, what if these two guys were once BFFs?
So it’s basically the story of Michelangelo and Leonardo, two best friends who are trying to become the world’s greatest artist so God will forgive them for being gay.
How do you think audiences will react to the show?
It will either be their favorite musical’s favorite musical, or they’ll be offended and want to leave.
How have you been preparing for the festival?
This is the world premiere of the show so we’ve had to cast it, create a brand new design, prep all the music, and rehearse everything from the ground up. We’ve been busy.
Will you get a chance to enjoy the rest of the festival?
In between flyering, performances, and sleeping, there won’t be a ton of time, but I hope to support as many other shows as I can and maybe our cast will even make some guest appearances in other shows? I hope so.
Pop Off, Michelangelo! is at Big Yin, Gilded Balloon Patter House from 31 July to 26 August
