Jeezus Review: A Wild Hymn to Queer Freedom

★★★★★

Jeezus! The Musical is a gloriously irreverent queer Latinx explosion that skewers Catholic tradition with camp, comedy and heart. Written and performed by Sergio Antoniio Maggiolo, with Guido Garcia also performing and serving as musical director under the direction of Laura Killeen, it is a show that revels in both blasphemy and tenderness.

In Peru, Maria’s prayers for a child are answered with the birth of Jesus. As his first Holy Communion approaches, he finds himself battling desires that the church would condemn. A trip to the United States sparks a forbidden attraction to his swim-team cousin, and back home the guilt only deepens. Just when it threatens to overwhelm him, Jeezus appears, crown of thorns shining, gold lamé loincloth glittering, and promises liberation through love. His entrance sets the irreverent tone for the whole piece, equal parts parody and provocation, and instantly reframes the story as camp liberation rather than solemn tragedy.

Maggiolo and Garcia are magnetic together. Clad in the purple and white of South American Catholicism, a clever touch from costume designer Carolina Rieckhof, their chemistry feels authentic and joyfully infectious. Their performances lean deliberately into the melodrama of a telenovela. At times, the heightened camp teeters on being too much, but that excess is part of the joke, a knowing nod to the genre that fuels the show’s outrageous charm. Garcia’s musical direction keeps the score buoyant, blending Latin rhythms with playful melodies and the occasional burst of rap, perfectly matching the show’s camp spirit.

The musical ricochets between outrageous satire and sobering truth. One moment a crucifix becomes a sex toy, the next you are hit with the suffocating reality of state-sanctioned homophobia and the weight of a military father’s expectations. At times the shifts are whiplash-inducing, but they sharpen the satire and make the tender moments land even harder.

Jeezus is wild, sexy and self-aware, a hymn to queer freedom led by a saviour you would happily follow straight to the altar.

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• Venue Underbelly Cowgate – Belly Button

• Dates 19–24 August 2025

• Daily Time of Performance 6:50 pm

• Tickets Book on EdFringe