Book, Music and Lyrics by Dylan MarcAurele
GILDED BALLOON, EDINBURGH (2024) • THE OTHER PALACE, LONDON (2024)
UNDERBELLY BOULEVARD, LONDON (2025) • UNDERBELLY GEORGE SQUARE, EDINBURGH (2025)
DIRECTOR • CO-SET DESIGNER
A bloodthirsty friar is on the hunt for homosexuals in Renaissance Italy just when childhood friends Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci realise they both like boys. Terrified, they devise a foolproof plan to gain God's forgiveness: become the greatest religious artists of all time. Featuring an original electropop score as infectious as the bubonic plague, this musical comedy was a standout hit of the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and was shortlisted for the Popcorn Award.
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Pop Off, Michelangelo! by Dylan MarcAurele was first performed at the Gilded Balloon Patter House at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe, following a preview performance at the Other Palace Studio in July 2024. The show returned to the Other Palace main house in November 2024, before an extended production was launched at Underbelly Boulevard in Soho in May 2025. The Underbelly production was extended through July before transferring to Udderbelly (the big purple cow) in George Square at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe.
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Binge Fringe​
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The Stage​
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Corr Blimey​
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The Recs​
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The Scotsman​
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PRODUCTION PHOTOS
Creatives
Book, Music and Lyrics - Dylan MarcAurele
Director - Joe McNeice
Choreographer and Intimacy Director - Sundeep Saini
Casting Director - Sarah-Jane Price
Musical Director, Orchestrator and Keys* - Aron Sood
Bass - Felix Barrett
Percussion - Paul J Forster
Assistant Choreographer and Dance Captain* - Conn McGirr
Costume Designer* - Emily Bestow
Lighting Designer - Adam King
Sound Designer* - Ed Lewis
Video Designer* - PJ McEvoy
Sound Number 1* - Josh Morgan
Production Manager* - James Anderton
General Manager - Paul Virides
Company Stage Manager* - Daisy On (Underbelly Boulevard)/Joshua Bayles (Underbelly George Square)
Deputy Stage Manager* - Lizzie Hodge (Underbelly Boulevard)/Alexandra Mordenti (Underbelly George Square)
Assistant Stage Manager* - Anna Hunt (Underbelly Boulevard)/Shuyin Wang (Underbelly George Square)
Marketing* - Maidwell Marketing (Underbelly Boulevard)
PR - Michelle Mangan (Gilded Balloon)/Kevin Wilson PR (The Other Palace)/Kate Morley PR (Underbelly Boulevard)
Dramaturg - Rose Oser
The set was designed in collaboration between Joe McNeice, Emily Bestow, and PJ McEvoy.
*denotes 2025 Underbelly Boulevard and Underbelly George Square productions. The 2024 Edinburgh Fringe premiere also included Emily Obasohan as Production Manager, Em Langan as Stage Manager, Aidan Jones as Sound Designer, Bernard O’Toole as Production Carpenter, and Joe Vella as Assistant Director and Associate Choreographer.
Produced by Blair Russell for Blair Russell Productions
For Blair Russell Productions:
Blair Russell, Ido Gal, Nikki Malloy, Isaid Corona and Emily Obasohan.
Cast
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​UNDERBELLY GEORGE SQUARE (2025)
Michelangelo - Max Eade
Leonardo da Vinci - Aidan MacColl
Salaì - Kurran Dhand
Savonarola - Laura Sillett
Pope - Michael Marouli
Mother - Aoife Haakenson
Italian Chef - Sev Keoshgerian
Swings - Natalia Brown, Lucy Carter and Conn McGirr
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UNDERBELLY BOULEVARD (2025)
Michelangelo - Max Eade
Leonardo da Vinci - Aidan MacColl
Salaì - Kurran Dhand
Savonarola - Laura Sillett
Pope - Michael Marouli
Mother - Aoife Haakenson
Italian Chef - Sev Keoshgerian
Swings - Natalia Brown and Conn McGirr
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​THE OTHER PALACE (2024)
Michelangelo - Max Eade
Leonardo da Vinci - Aidan MacColl
Salaì - Conn McGirr
Savonarola - Lucy Carter
Pope - Paul Toulson
Mother - Maiya Quansah-Breed
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GILDED BALLOON (2024)​
Michelangelo - Max Eade
Leonardo da Vinci - Aidan MacColl
Salaì - Joe Winter
Mother/Savonarola - Sylvie Stenson
Pope - Paul Toulson
Swing - Conn McGirr​
Visit the show's Wikipedia page here.