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London Theatre Doc

DIVA: Live From Hell - Review at Edinburgh Fringe 2024



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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