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Underbelly, George Square
Sometimes you stumble across a show at the Fringe that makes you wonder how on earth you nearly missed it. Pop Off, Michelangelo was one of those moments. A last-minute “shall we just squeeze in one more?” booking turned out to be a brilliant decision.
This is a gay Renaissance romp with more camp delight than a Vatican fresco and more wit than Leonardo bragging about his flying machines. With a three-piece band and a seven-strong cast, the show barrels through papal politics, repressed desire and creative rivalry with an electropop score that is as infectious as the bubonic plague.
It is outrageous, clever and a riot of fun. The music slaps, the lyrics are razor sharp, and the cast throw themselves into the chaos with pure joy. The audience loved it and so did I. Unless you are both homophobic and devoutly Catholic (in which case, why are you even at the Fringe?) there is very little here not to enjoy.
I would put money on this one following the same trajectory as SIX. It has that mix of irreverence, wit and originality that producers look for and I would not be surprised to see it scaled up for bigger stages before long.
Loved it. Four stars out of five.
PS: Kudos to the actor playing the Pope… you absolutely slayed it!