Interview with Dylan MarcAurele, Pop Off Michelangelo!

It has already had a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and The Other Palace, now Pop Off, Michelangelo heads to the Underbelly Boulevard Soho next month for a limited 5-week run. The queer-themed musical comedy celebrates LGBTQ+ identity through a beautiful mix of camp artistry and over-the-top drama. Ahead of the run, we were joined again by Dylan MarcAurele, the writer of the musical to chat about this next step in the musical’s journey this spring and why you need to see Pop Off, Michelangelo for yourself.

Let’s start by getting to know you better. You are a writer so can you share a bit about your journey into the theatre industry? What first sparked your passion for writing and were they are any pivotal moments or mentors who helped share your career?

My background is in music—it was my major at Harvard, which is sort of like a funny joke. Fast-forwarding to the COVID-19 pandemic, I started writing songs about the Real Housewives and putting them on Instagram, which gained a large following and eventually even led to a live show, a TV appearance, and writing music for Andy Cohen. That made me think, okay, let’s lean into this more and keep writing.

Your work is very focused on celebrating the queer themes - what themes or stories are you most drawn to exploring in your projects?

I love an underdog moment; I love stories about class and ambition; and I love that trope of the sidekick best-friend character with purer intentions who should have been listened to from the very beginning. I sort of combined all those ideas into a queer comedy through the friendship of Mike and Leo. I won’t spoil the ending but the message ultimately is of course, one of self-acceptance.

You wrote Pop Off, Michelangelo! Which is returning to London this May and has had great success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. What is it like to do more with this piece of work and have you brought anything new to this run?

I’m so glad it’s back. Since we’re not limited by Fringe time constraints, I got to add back in some material that I was sad to cut last summer, including a full new song by a new character cryptically referred to as “Italian Chef”. Plus, we get a live band and a larger cast. It’ll still feel intimate and Fringe-y, but it’s a perfect next step on the road of the show.

Can you tell our readers a little bit about the context of this production and where you drew inspiration from when you initially started writing it?

I’d say it’s heavily inspired by musicals like Wicked and Book of Mormon, movies like The Devil Wears Prada and Legally Blonde, and the unbelievable true history of artistic rivals Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, both queer but completely opposite in every other way. 

What can audiences expect from this work which is not necessarily like anything else playing in London at the moment?

You can expect 75 minutes of laughter and distraction from the darkness of the world. And also: bangers!

What are the challenges of being a writer and focusing on work which pushes the boundaries?

All I can do is be myself on the page and hope that others respond to it. I hope people know that the occasional vulgarity is all in service of real, genuine pathos and storytelling. But yes: it does mean telling Aunt Bernice to leave the kids at home. 

There has certainly been an increase in queer theatre being showcased on stage, though not always on major platforms like the West End. Why do you think this is the case, and why should producers invest in and support this type of work?

It’s easier to be openly, culturally, loudly gay today than it was decades ago, and we see that everywhere. Straight guys watch Drag Race now. It’s barely even counter-cultural anymore, it’s mainstream. So, to the producers at the top of the theatre industry, which notoriously lags years behind actual culture (remember when Lin Manuel Miranda invented hip hop in 2015?): get with it!

Finally, why should people come and see Pop Off, Michelangelo! On its return to London this Spring?

If you’re looking for something that’s fun, fast, and full of surprises, this is the show for you. You will not regret it.

Pop Off, Michelangelo! will play at the Underbelly Boulevard Soho from 17 May - 22 June 2025.