Award-winning theatre company Alpaqa brings their provocative new musical JEEZUS! to the Edinburgh Fringe 2025. Created by Sergio Antonio Maggiolo with Guido García Lueches and Laura Killeen, this bold production fuses queer identity, religious satire, and Latin rhythms.
Performed by Maggiolo and García Lueches, JEEZUS! follows a young altar boy’s unexpected spiritual and sensual awakening. With biting humour and a pulsing soundtrack, it’s a show that promises to challenge, entertain, and liberate.
Catch JEEZUS! at the Belly Button, Underbelly Cowgate from 31st July to 24th August (no shows on 11th and 18th). Tickets are available now
You’re bringing JEEZUS! to the Belly Button, Underbelly Cowgate—what can you tell us about the show?
JEEZUS! is half coming-of-age story, half romantic comedy, and fully an outrageous Latinx musical.
It follows our super Catholic South American boy Jesús on his way to receiving his first communion, and falling balls deep in love with our Lord and Saviour.
It is hilarious, it is heartbreaking, and really really extra.
JEEZUS! is described as “blasphemously bold” and “unrepentantly queer.” What inspired you to create a show that collides Catholic guilt with Latin heat?
I was raised in a part of the world where religion played a huge role in my upbringing.
Growing up queer, I was confronted with an impossible choice. I could either suffer for being who I was, or suffer for not being who I was.
Later, I started noticing the Church’s obsession with sex, especially in how it represses and controls it. I have always felt that sexuality is spiritual; it is a way of connecting and entering a higher space.
If the Church wants to dominate the realm of spirituality, it makes sense that it would try to control sex too.
This show is a reclamation of sexuality, spirituality and love. It breaks taboos and celebrates queerness without compromise. If there is a God, then they made me this way.
The show blends live music, satire, and sensuality. How did you approach balancing these elements in both performance and storytelling?
The first thing that comes to mind is a sexy Greek satyr playing music and making people laugh and horny. These elements have existed together since humans began telling stories to each other.
JEEZUS! is constantly laughing at itself. When I realised I wanted to explore deeply complex themes like shame, identity, and myth, I knew I needed to balance that weight with something lighter.
A silly romantic comedy musical felt like the perfect vessel for the message to get in. More lube is always good.
As a queer, migrant artist, how does your personal journey influence the themes and tone of JEEZUS!?
In the current climate, immigrants and all minorities are being used as scapegoats for the sins of our billionaire and political class.
JEEZUS! is not just a funny musical. It is full of anti-extractivist politics. It exposes the ways patriarchy and religion mirror each other. It denounces the colonisation of our land and our bodies.
As immigrants and queer people, we are constantly carving out space in a society that often sees us as less than human. At the same time, we try to build empathy with those who are not migrants but have been failed by their own societies.
JEEZUS! is about building those bridges. Our work pokes a ticklish finger at our differences in order to find shared laughter and real connection.
What has it meant to you to be recognised with the Untapped Award, and how has that support shaped this production?
We are incredibly grateful to all of the partners who believed in our show and in our message. Support like this is the only reason JEEZUS! could make it to the Fringe.
We used the award entirely to improve the show through collaboration with our creative team. We were able to refine everything from the script to the music, the choreography, the design, and our communication strategies.
This opportunity has also given us a platform to share our unapologetic queer immigrant artistic voice, and we hope it helps us upscale and take our work to new places.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see JEEZUS!?
Book now before censorship catches up with us.
With the political climate being what it is, there is no guarantee shows like this will always get a platform.
JEEZUS! will surprise you, smite you dead, and bring you back to life. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it might even heal a small part of your beautiful gay soul.
