Jun 7, 20244 min read

Review: DIVA: Live From Hell (King's Head Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s time to go back to hell as a musical set in the underworld returns to London. No, not Hadestown. Not even a revival of Opening Night – it’s the return of cult favourite DIVA: Live From Hell, which returns to the capital as it warms up for a season at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Having been blown away by the show in 2022, would it be just as good second time around or is this one show that would have been better if it stayed dead?

Inspired by All About Eve, DIVA: Live From Hell sees teenager Desmond Channing stuck in the Seventh Circle – a cabaret venue in Hell (Well, the King’s Head Theatre in Islington this time around) where he has been forced to perform his one-man-show on a loop for eternity. In it, we discover the story of how the former President of the Drama Club at Ronald Raegan High School dealt with his student rival Evan Harris which ultimately saw him take his rightful place in Hell.

Nora Brigid Monahan’s writing playfully pays homage not just to the story of All About Eve but musical theatre in general, expertly tying into Alexander Sage-Oyen’s music and lyrics with songs that pay homage to various musical theatre shows, songs and styles with tongue-in-cheek pastiches. Never taking itself seriously, the concept takes a familiar tale and puts a new twist on it with no shortage of comedy. With writing that never falls below a certain quality, there is no shortage of wickedly funny one-liners and situations. While there is a twist in the tale and the gory details surrounding Desmond’s ultimate sinful act may have made me wince, you can’t accuse this show of not going through with its ambition and giving us the big finale we all desired.

Joe McNeice’s direction takes Nora’s writing and Alexander’s songs and finds a bold and creative way to execute the story in the fairly limited space of Islington’s King’s head Theatre. No bells and whistles are required here, just a few lights and simple props to allow the story to be told by itself, with nothing more than its fabulous performer (more on him in a moment). Since the show was last seen in 2022, the show has been revised with some new references and revisions to the writing, as well as new choices in staging. The highlight of this and most welcome addition is a hilarious homage to ‘Defying Gravity’ showing Desmond Channing at his most… wicked.

Reprising the role of Desmond Channing (among others) is Luke Bayer, whose career-best performance blew me away on this show’s initial run in 2022. As good as he was last time around, this time he is even better, upping the ante to bring us Desmond at his most disturbed, channelling every aspect of the teenager as he navigates his troubles. Playing to Bayer’s strengths perfectly, this is the perfect vehicle for his talents as he taps into every ounce of character in a masterful performance bordering on genius. Throw in a cheeky ad-lib, knowing looks to the audience and cutting remarks to his long-suffering accompanist and you have a performer at their peak in a role they were very clearly born to play. Having the time to really get into the character has resulted in a better-rounded and captivating characterisation when compared to an already outstanding performance two years ago.

While there may just be one actor on stage throughout, there is more than one character in DIVA with Bayer showing enormous versatility and stamina as he takes on not just Desmond but all of his weird and wonderful associates. From the polar opposite characteristics of Desmond’s nemesis Evan to a scene-stealing performance as his sweet and innocent best friend Allie Hewitt, Bayer showcases his remarkable strengths and affinity for a comedic and charismatic performance. A testament to his strength is his ability to bring the house down, belting a performance as a lisping girl in 'His Best Friend' and showstopping number ‘The Big Time!’ – two of the musical highlights from Alexander Sage-Oyen’s collection of instantly familiar, catchy and loveable musical numbers.

Full of genius references that will delight anyone who has ever taken even the slightest bit of interest to musicals, every theatre lover needs to see this show – Bob Fosse? Patti LuPone? Lea Michele? They are all present in the most unexpected of ways. While the writing is exceptional in itself, it is the career-defining and career-best performance by Luke Bayer that makes this show so exceptional. DIVA: Live From Hell takes all of the good (or should that be evil?) from its 2022 run and turns the heat up to create a wickedly funny and devilishly good production. This killer show really is unmissable – get yourself a ticket and prepare for one Hell of a ride.