Diva: Live From Hell! Review
Written by Jacqueline for Theatre and Tonic.
Following a sold out run at the Turbine Theatre in 2023 and a preview run at the Kings Head Theatre in Islington earlier this year, Diva: Live From Hell! has reached the Edinburgh Fringe. This solo musical tells a story of rivalry, vengeance and ambition… and a theatre kid who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The previous runs were met with a wave of positive reception, so I knew I simply had to see the show for myself when it arrived at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Head Over Heels) leads this one-man show which tells the story of a theatre kid’s spectacular fall from grace. Desmond Channing thought he had it all- president of the drama club; cast in the plum role in his Fall musical; beloved by all… or so he would believe. When New York newcomer Evan Harris comes on the scene, Desmond’s star power is threatened and he will stop at nothing to cling onto his crown. As a result, Desmond finds himself trapped in a squalid cabaret bar in Hell, forced to retell his story in order to repent and be freed from his torment.
Huge kudos must be given to our star, Luke Bayer. Across the prediction he plays five key characters- drama king Desmond; straight theatre bro Evan; drama club leading lady Sarah; timid shy Alli; and the drama club teacher. Bayer’s depiction of Evan was particularly strong, to the point where the audience could tell which character he had switched to before he even opened his mouth. It was incredibly impressive how smoothly he transitioned between roles, especially during scenes of conflict. In the time it took to take a single step Bayer managed to swap from Desmond to Evan and back, again and again. Many people would assume that physical violence between characters isn’t possible in a one-person show, but Bayer disproved that easily, and was hilarious while doing so.
Diva: Live From Hell! has a script that is slick and packs a lot into the 70 minute runtime. Though much of the show is over-the-top camp drama and action, there are also some more quiet moments which do well to keep the production grounded rather than just being non-stop chaos and hilarity. Furthermore, the script is jam packed with musical theatre references and Easter eggs which appeal both to the casual theatre enjoyer or the full-blown drama geeks. From Desmond’s personal here Kevin Kline to Patti Lupone; from Lea Michele to Bob Fosse, there are so many little things to look and listen out for. Having said that though, some aspects of the script were a bit predictable, and the characters did stick very closely to their clearly assigned archetypes- would a longer run time potentially allow for slightly more depth to the characters?
I have no doubt that there is a very bright future for this show, and look forward to seeing how it progresses in the coming months.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
