DEEP-HEAT RIVALRY

The Other Palace

★★★★

“Mitchell Harper’s choreography is a standout, full of bravado, athleticism and personality”

You wait all year for a parody of the hit hockey drama ‘Heated Rivalry’ and then three turn up at once. That’s right, ‘Deep Heat Rivalry: The Porno Panto On Ice’ is the latest addition to the parody phenomenon sweeping the nation, making its world premiere as a gloriously camp, unapologetically queer and laugh-out-loud celebration of the show’s cultural impact.

Ice hockey superstars Shane Hollandaise and Ilya Stroganoff are known for their public friction. But a different kind of heat’s rising behind closed doors. Can they make room for love on such a public platform? And how many divas must Diana Vickers spoof to get there?

Writers Trevor Ashley and Phil Scott gleefully raid the panto playbook for this hilariously irreverent romp. A talking puck – naturally named Puck – guides us through the action with all the sparkle of a Fairy Godmother, firing off rhyming couplets until even they give up. There’s a larger-than-life Diva with more costume changes than a panto dame, plenty of audience participation, and a barrage of parody songs. Though the first half is stronger than the second – with momentum dipping slightly towards the end, and a couple of songs lacking the same punch – the show’s greatest achievement is its accessibility. You don’t need to know the series to have a great time: going in blind, it’s wickedly funny and deliciously naughty; after frantically bingeing the series, you appreciate how cleverly it spoofs the source material without being overly tethered to it. Better still, it pursues an even happier panto-style ending of its own. A thoroughly entertaining and winningly silly night out.

Ashley’s direction is knowingly irreverent, delivering a lovingly camp take on the central romance. Where ‘Heated Rivalry’ leans into sincerity and emotional depth, ‘Deep-Heat Rivalry’ packs in musical theatre moments, pop culture nods and a carousel of cultural icons. It leans into the series’ steamy reputation, with cheeky (literally) bedroom scenes and plenty of innuendo, all without crossing into full nudity. Like any self-respecting panto, it’s fuelled by parody songs, many of them queer anthems, which drive the story while keeping the laughs coming. It makes smart use of the compact space, regularly spilling into the auditorium and kidnapping audience members to create a lively sense of complicity. The pacing is brisk for the most part, though loses a little steam in the second half. Mitchell Harper’s choreography is a standout, full of bravado, athleticism and personality, while still allowing space for some vulnerability. I especially love the tongue in cheek take on ‘Anything Goes’, complete with tap track gags. One or two numbers feel more static by comparison, but overall this is a slick, playful and irresistibly fun production.

Reuben Speed’s set is a cut above the usual DIY panto aesthetic, with wraparound sports fans, an LED-edged rink and a glittering title perched above it all. Matt Hockley’s lighting channels sporting spectacle with a camp twist, with roving coloured spotlights setting the mood before the show’s even begun. Joshua Robins’ sound design is slick, if occasionally a touch overpowering, with some lyrical gags getting lost in the mix. Angie White’s costumes range from eye-catching to barely-there, with Puck’s daringly revealing leotard a particular highlight.

The show’s greatest asset is its superb cast. This fierce foursome (wink) attack every gag, lyric and dance break with infectious energy, razor-sharp comic timing and impressive precision. Sario Solomon brings just the right mix of angst and devotion to Shane, while Jason Leigh Winter nails Ilya’s brooding, laconic cool before gleefully unleashing his camp side. Diana Vickers is a comic chameleon as The Diva, switching effortlessly between characters while showing off a powerhouse vocal range. Though the glue of the show is Ross Chisari’s Puck, a mischievous master of ceremonies who keeps the audience firmly in the palm of his hand with boundless energy throughout. A fabulous ensemble.

‘Deep Heat Rivalry’ is a worthy addition to the ‘Heated Rivalry’ canon and, with Christmas officially less than 100 days away (sorry), it’s the perfect excuse for an early dose of panto.

DEEP-HEAT RIVALRY

The Other Palace

Reviewed on 16th September 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Mark Senior

DEEP-HEAT RIVALRY

★★★★

“tries to pack in a some messages along the way, some of these work and add a touch of sentiment to the show, but others feel a little unnecessary”

OK, from the start let’s make it clear – this is not, definitely not, a Take That musical. Set in Manchester, featuring five lads in a hugely successful boyband and blasting out the back catalogue of aforementioned supergroup, we’re clear from the onset … this is not, repeat not, a Take That Musical.

As we walk into the auditorium, we’re transported back to 1993 with a giant screen on stage rolling through the pages of Ceefax – a little lost on some of the younger audience members, but to us of a certain age, pure nostalgia. As the show starts we’re in what could be any teenaged girl’s bedroom of the time, with walls adorned with Smash Hits posters. We meet young Rachel (Faye Christall) who brings us up to speed about how she, and her mates Heather (Clayton), Debbie (Rachelle Diedricks), Claire (Sarah Kate Howarth) and Zoe (Lauren Jacobs) are in love with a certain boyband. Skip forward twenty five years and Rachel (Rachel Lumberg) wins a competition to see her beloved pop heroes in Prague. Having drifted apart from the others, she tracks them down and invites Heather (Emily Joyce), Zoe (Jayne McKenna) and Claire (Alison Fitzjohn) to see their childhood idols.

Throughout the plot opportunities are created to shoehorn in some of Take That’s biggest hits, with scenes that cleverly switch from us following the girls/women to us being in the audience of a concert. Most people will know that the lads in the band (A. J. Bentley, Yazdan Qafouri, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns and Sario Soloman) were picked in the BBC contest ‘Let it Shine’. In the year and a half since, they have become a close knit five piece and the show (touring since September last year) has become the fastest selling musical theatre tour of all time.

However, Take That are masters of their game, from lad band to dad band, they have always been talented showmen who excel at everything they do so it’s hard not to compare the boys in The Band with Howard, Jason, Robbie, Gary and Mark; therein lies a problem – however hard they work, they are never going to compete either vocally or performance wise. Don’t get me wrong, AJ, Nick, Curtis, Sario and Yazdan are talented young performers, but there were a few duff notes and the choreography at times wasn’t quite as polished in places as it should have been for a West End stage.

The set (Jon Bausor) was fun with a few nice surprises. However, it did look a little like it was created just to be easily toured with. There were some clever use of video projection (Luke Halls) to flesh out scenes but this was inconsistent as for every outstanding part there was one which was rather unexciting.

The Band tries to pack in a some messages along the way, some of these work and add a touch of sentiment to the show, but others feel a little unnecessary. There are some parts which may raise a few eyebrows in this day and age – dodgy Polish accents and fat jokes to name a couple. This isn’t outstanding musical theatre and doesn’t deliver anything new. However, if you take it at face value, it is a fantastic, fun experience and certainly one you’ll Never Forget.

Reviewed by thespyinthestalls

Photography by Matt Crockett

Tag Archives: Sario Soloman

DEEP-HEAT RIVALRY

★★★★

The Other Palace

DEEP-HEAT RIVALRY

The Other Palace

★★★★

“Mitchell Harper’s choreography is a standout, full of bravado, athleticism and personality”