DIVA: Live From Hell!
Performed by Luke Bayer
Book and characters by Nora Brigid Monahan
Music and lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen
Underbelly Cowgate (Belly Button)
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 8 August 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Luke Bayer is superhuman!
Following a sell-out run at the Turbine Theatre in London, critically acclaimed solo musical 'Diva: Live From Hell!' has arrived in the underworld of Edinburgh (Underbelly Cowgate.) Starring the sensational Luke Bayer as every character in the show, and accompanied by a fantastic live band, the seventh circle of Hell has never sounded so good.
President of the drama club and star of all the shows at Ronald Reagan High School in Florida, Desmond Channing (Luke Bayer) always wins the lead role. But when a talented transfer student from New York threatens his supremacy, Desmond's diva behaviour gets out of control... With deadly consequences! Now stuck in a cabaret venue in Hell, Desmond is forced to relive his grisly tale. We join him and his band for their one-millionth consecutive show. Welcome to Hell!
Luke Bayer, deserved winner of 'Best Lead Performance' in a Musical at the Offies 2023 for this role is electrifying. He gives a frankly astonishing performance as the bitchy and unhinged Desmond Channing, and of every one of his distinctive high-school classmates and more. Bayer switches from the deranged Desmond, to shy girl with a lisp Ally, to his straight NYC rival, to a prom queen and back again in a heartbeat. Sometimes playing multiple characters in a single conversation - he never misses. It's a masterclass in stage-acting and a spectacular achievement.
The stamina needed for this 70 minute solo-musical cannot be underestimated. Bayer sings, acts, dances, and interacts with the band and the audience with barely a moment to stop for breath. He launches from a tap dance into a monologue and straight into another song. I think he may be superhuman. Perhaps you don't need oxygen in Hell.
The band take their cues from Bayer throughout the evening and the live music accompaniment really does take this show up another level. It feels like the best kind of intimate cabaret and the organic interactions between "Desmond" and the musicians add another element of interest to the show. Luke Bayer's ad-libs had both the audience and the band in stitches. This is an artist who is not only remembering his lines, his stage directions and dance steps, as well as carrying the success of an entire show on his shoulders, but he's thinking on his feet improvising and being devilishly funny (rude) to everyone he interacts with to boot. I told you - superhuman!
The staging for 'DIVA' is minimal but it's beautifully lit, and there's more to it than first appears. The storyline and direction are joyfully stagey: there are so many musical theatre references and nods to Broadway written into the book and lyrics that theatre kids will delight in catching them all. The music and lyrics are genuinely excellent and Bayer performs them with flair and glee. But this camp little musical is also deliciously dark. Can vengeance ever be anything else? As Desmond becomes more and more maniacal the stakes are raised and the audience hushes as the tone shifts.
With a run time of 70 minutes I felt that a complete story-arc had been told. It ended in the perfect place and as I applauded, I genuinely shook my head at the brilliance I had just witnessed. 'DIVA: Live From Hell' is a really good, funny, refreshing, one-act, one-man show. But it relies entirely on the performance of the solo artiste. Luckily for this show they have Luke Bayer, and he elevates this musical to something extra special. This is one hell of a performance. Don't miss it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
DIVA: Live From Hell! plays at Underbelly Cowgate (Belly Button) until 25 August.
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📸 photos: Danny with a Camera
DIVA: Live From Hell! Cast and creatives
Performer Luke Bayer
Featuring Voiceover cameos from Jak Malone and Tracie Bennett
Book and Characters Nora Brigid Monahan
Music and Lyrics Alexander Sage-Oyen
Director Joe McNeice
Musical Director Debbi Clarke
Producer Blair Russell Productions
General Manager HD General Management
DIVA: Live From Hell! Edinburgh dates
Performance Dates: 1-11, 13-22, 24-25 August 2024
Time: 20:30
Location: Underbelly Cowgate (Belly Button)
⌚ Running time: 70 minutes
⚠️ Age Recommendation | 16+
Content Warnings: Strong language and themes of a sensitive nature.
🎟️ Tickets from £9 https://underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/event/diva-live-from-hell
Diva: Live From Hell! review, Luke Bayer, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, Underbelly.
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🎟️ Disclosure: I am an Edinburgh Festival Fringe accredited media reviewer and as such I receive complimentary press tickets in exchange for my honest reviews. My reviews and star ratings are always my honest opinions.
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