We chatted to Dylan about Pop Off, Michelangelo! running at the Underbelly Boulevard Soho from the 17th May until the 22nd June.
Hi Dylan, how does it feel to be bringing the show to the Underbelly
Boulevard Soho? Incredible. What once was a hastily-written, only slightly more socially aware Book of Mormon has now become an unstoppable force in the West End
theatre landscape. And this time, there’s a live band!
How did the idea for the show come about? I got to go to Italy with my husband for our honeymoon, and when we visited the Accademia Gallery of Florence, a very enthusiastic tour guide told us all about how Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were both gay artists, bitter rivals, but completely different in their lifestyles and philosophies. Flash forwards a bit and I finally saw Wicked for the first time and I thought: what if these two opposite personalities went to school together, and what if they were once best friends?
What have you enjoyed the most about seeing the show develop? As a songwriter who isn’t a singer (shoutout to my friends Lin and Alicia!), I think my favourite thing is handing the music over to incredible vocalists. The songs are comedy-forward, but they totally come alive in a new way when originating from a larynx that went to drama school.
How has it been working alongside director Joe McNeice? Joe and I share many things, including a love for Trader Joe’s, gay pop culture, and The Simpsons. I was thrilled that he liked the script when it reached his desk. Some of what he’s brought to the show has been a complete surprise: for example, Joe encouraged the cast to use their natural accents (I wrote it as an ‘American’ show)—which has invariably led to funnier, better, and more honest performances. The result is this great hybrid of American chick flick energy from me, British camp from him, and Renaissance Italian history, which shouldn’t work, but does!
What can those who have yet to see Pop Off, Michelangelo expect? 75 minutes of laughter, memorable songs, and distraction from the utter darkness
of the modern world. Pop off!
By Emma Clarendon
To book tickets visit: https://underbellyboulevard.com/tickets/pop-off-michelangelo/