I: Héctor Manchego
High-octane Latin heat meets Catholic guilt in the award-winning musical fantasia arriving at New Diorama Theatre this April.
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The wait for the second coming is finally over! Following a smash-hit, sold-out run at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the irreverent and high-octane comedy musical JEEZUS! is back. Today, the production announces the premiere of a new, fully-realized, and scaled-up staging. Winner of the prestigious 2025 UNTAPPED Award and co-produced by the migrant-led company Alpaqa alongside New Diorama Theatre, this surreal musical fantasia returns to London for a triumphant three-week run from 21 April until 9 May.
Set in 1990s Peru, the story unfolds as a brutal military coup ushers in a decade of dictatorship under the rule of Alberto Fujimori. In the home of General José and his devoted wife María, altar boy Jesús prepares diligently for his first communion. However, as the biggest day of his adolescent life approaches, the political climate isn't the only thing heating up—the "hot man on the cross" begins to make him feel something decidedly unholy.
This production, which fearlessly tackles themes of colonialism, sexuality, and sin, is written and performed by Sergio Antonio Maggiolo as Jesús. He is joined by collaborator and partner Guido Garcia Lueches, and together the pair perform a multitude of characters on an unrepentantly queer journey toward ultimate enlightenment. Directed by Laura Killeen, the show features a vibrant, original blend of music—ranging from anthemic Latin pop bangers and Salsa to South American folk tunes (Cumbia) and Bad Bunny-like beats—all played live on stage by Tom Cagnoni.
Reflecting on the upbringing that inspired the musical, Sergio Antonio Maggiolo explains that the show is not intended to mock religion, but rather to wrestle with its contradictions, ecstasies, and power. Having grown up in a part of South America where religion was a pillar of identity and a language for love, he acknowledges the painful reality many queer people face: that faith can often be a door or a wall.
At its heart, JEEZUS! is a story about the narratives we inherit, the bodies we inhabit, and the miracles we must eventually make for ourselves. Absurd, joyful, and brutal, this production serves as a profound love letter to queerness, to myth, and to every kid who once believed they were destined for hell.