Tag Archives: Joe McNeice

DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL!

★★★★

King’s Head Theatre

DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL! at the King’s Head Theatre

★★★★

“There is much to enjoy in this camp morality tale about the true cost of being a Diva”

Diva: Live from Hell! is a dark musical comedy directed by Joe McNeice with musical direction by Debbi Clarke. The show follows Demond Charming (Luke Bayer) as he recounts his sordid tale, forced to perform the show for all eternity in hell. Adding to Charming’s discomfort, he plays all the characters and entertains solo on stage, taking his anger out on the band and audience. Bayer is a superb talent, debuting the score with technical prowess and presence, revelling in the delightfully evil character portrayal.

Bayer performs the various characters with consistent distinctions and switches between them with ease, from awkward stage manager Ally Hewitt to relaxed jock Evan Harris. Carrying on their characterisation through their singing voice, sometimes duetting with himself in an impressive display. As more characters are introduced we learn about the events leading to Charming’s damnation. Throughout Desmond is malicious and disparaging about fellow members of the Ronald Reagen high school drama club, revealing a conniving insecure wannabe star. Bayer makes no attempt to redeem Desmond, President of drama Club, with all the trappings of a catty student thespian; complete with pettiness and ego. The dissection of showbiz ambition and the nasty edge of teen drama queens is funny as much as it is biting; Desmond is in the 7th circle of hell for a reason. His story evokes a message of self-acceptance, responsibility and the importance of introspection. We watch Charming’s descent from grace as he embraces the label of Diva.

 

 

Surrounded by the infernal band, Desmond performs from a hellish vaudeville-esq stage, complete with red ringleader jacket in the opening number “I’m coming live from Hell”. The songs are catchy, well paced and distinct (Alexander Sage Oyen) with as much dancing (Anna Hale) as a solo performer can provide (yes there is Tap). A bank of lockers set the story in a timeless school somewhere in America (set and costume design by Pip Terry). There are ample references to American musical theatre legends like Patty LuPone and Kevin Klein, with send ups of iconic sequences and coming of age Highschool dramas. Some jokes and references fall into a niche category, but not distractingly so.

The tale is full of sound and fury with touches of seriousness. Nora Brigid Monahan writes a compelling humorous story with a bitchy, melodramatic and effeminate, Desmond who insists his feelings towards his attractive rival are entirely plutonic, going ballistic at the suggestion he has suppressed feelings. The setting of Hell is foreboding and dramatic, with Desmond satirising his life with gleeful lines “Have you read the script? Who are you, Lea Michelle?” and “I like to think I’m making Ronald Reagan proud”. There is much to enjoy in this camp morality tale about the true cost of being a Diva.


DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL! at the King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed on 6th June 2024

by Jessica Potts

Photography by Danny With a Camera

 

 


 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

BEATS | ★★★ | April 2024
BREEDING | ★★★★ | March 2024
TURNING THE SCREW | ★★★★ | February 2024
EXHIBITIONISTS | ★★ | January 2024
DIARY OF A GAY DISASTER | ★★★★ | July 2023
THE BLACK CAT | ★★★★★ | March 2023
THE MANNY | ★★★ | January 2023
FAME WHORE | ★★★ | October 2022
THE DROUGHT | ★★★ | September 2022
BRAWN | ★★ | August 2022

DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL!

DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL!

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Diva Live from Hell

Diva: Live From Hell!

★★★★★

The Turbine Theatre

DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL! at the The Turbine Theatre

★★★★★

 

Diva Live from Hell

“Brilliantly performed by Luke Bayer who is having a devilishly good time”

 

In Dante Alighieri’s ‘The Divine Comedy’, the Underworld is divided into nine ‘circles’ in which sinners were punished in relation to their crimes. The treacherous and fraudulent would find themselves in circles eight or nine, for example. The Seventh Circle was reserved for the sins of violence. This is where we find Desmond Channing, a rather deranged but endearing teenager who is forced into an eternal residency at Hell’s hottest nightclub to retell his tale, night after night. His life was short and his descent into madness rapid. Desmond’s fearless craving for the limelight swiftly morphs into the unthinking terror of a rabbit in the headlights.

The insanely talented Luke Bayer croons through the overture by way of introducing us to the Seventh Circle Cabaret Bar. Bayer is so completely at home you wonder what sins he’s hiding up his sleeves, but a cheeky wink betrays an innocent nod to the fourth wall. This is fantasy, it is fun, and Bayer is relishing every minute. His charm is as infectious as his voice is gorgeous.

We are taken back to the Florida high school where Desmond was president of the ‘Ronald Reagan Drama Club’. He is musical theatre personified. Bayer unselfconsciously and candidly celebrates all the faults and foibles of this particular character (Nora Brigid Monahan’s script is wickedly insightful) as he struts and frets. He is a bit of a paradox; he’s diffident but oh, such a diva! He thinks he’s the king, but he’s such a drama queen. He’s in love with the sexiest girl in the class, but it is clear his interests lie elsewhere. Into his confused life and mind saunters Evan Harris, the cool kid from New York City. Evan steals his girl, his role in the school’s musical, his presidency and ultimately his sanity.

Bayer moves seamlessly between the characters, evoking each with an individualism that relies purely on expression and tone. He pours irony over Evan’s swagger, and charm over the endearing ‘best friend’ Allie Hewitt – the voice of reason; while his Principal Dallas has a playful mix of officiousness and pseudo-sympathy. He not only plays them, but sings them too. The score focuses on Desmond, but the bit parts also have their moments at the microphone. “Strong” is a wonderful number which has Bayer interacting with the house band and teasing the ‘earnest’ singer-songwriter paragon. “The Big Time” reveals another threat in Bayer’s skill set as he nimbly tap dances across the floor. Equally nimble is his hold on the songs, which ooze ‘joie de vivre’. Alexander Sage Oyen’s music and lyrics don’t stray too far from the catchy, pop genre but manage to balance perfectly the upbeat with the ballads, and the anger with the melancholy. It is refreshing, also, to see a show that actively acknowledges the onstage musicians; a skilful trio made up of musical director Debbi Clarke on keys, with Jonnie Grant on drums and Ben Uden on guitar and bass.

Just when we’re wallowing in the whimsical, offbeat rhythms of the night we are given a glimpse of the darker side, and the real reason Desmond is confined to his place in the Inferno. A difficult moment to stage in a space such as the Turbine Theatre, but director Joe McNeice pulls it off, with Alistair Lindsay’s deceptively simple lighting. We are back in Hell, where we started. Desmond has earned his diva title.

Clever, entertaining and deliciously camp, “Diva – Live from Hell” is increasingly uplifting the further it descends into the depths. Brilliantly performed by Luke Bayer who is having a devilishly good time. And so are the audience. The only danger is we might start believing that Hell is so much fun, we’ll all want to become sinners!

 

 

Reviewed on 19th August 2022

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Harry Elletson

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

 

My Son’s A Queer But What Can You Do | ★★★½ | June 2021
My Night With Reg | ★★★★ | July 2021

 

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