DIVA Live From Hell, is sassy, wickedly clever, and uproariously hilarious – as its
name suggests, it is one hell of a show. After welcoming us into the Seventh Circle of
Hell, we meet Desmond, the Chair and Queen Bee of the Drama Club. We find him
stuck in Hell’s most devilish cabaret venue, destined to repeat the story of his death
on loop for the millionth time. Luke Bayer plays this over-the-top Diva to absolute
perfection; flouncing, bitching and hilariously reading every single audience member
with razor-sharp wit. Bayer’s sass and wittiness was best showcased by his
incredible rolodex of adlibs and ability to effortless play with the crowd. Nothing goes
unobserved – the person wearing distracting glow in the dark laces was playful
savaged then covered with a towel. His mesmerising banter didn’t just command
attention, it demands it.
For his sins, Bayer morphs into several other characters; My favourite being his own
tongue waggling, straight-nemesis, Drama Bro Evan who “uhs” and licks his way into
our hearts and pants as the ultimate heartthrob. It's hard to find faults in Bayer’s
performance. His fiery, acid-tongued charm is infectious to the point that as he
descends into murderous madness, you find yourself egging him on. Now sucked
into this hellish mindscape, Bayer encourages you to willingly sin with song after
song. Written by the incredibly talented composer Alexander Sage-Oyen, they yield
a masterpiece as a one-man performance.
If my trip to hell to watch DIVA was a punishment, I would be a willing repeat
offender in order to see it again and again!
Venue - Underbelly Cowgate at 20:30 from August 1st -25th
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