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Draft:DIVA: Live From Hell

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DIVA: Live from Hell is a one-man musical with a score by Alexander Sage Oyen and book and characters by Nora Brigid Monahan.[1] The musical is a dark comedy following Desmond Channing, a deranged high school theatre student, as he retells the events that drove him to murder his drama club rival to an audience at his long-running cabaret act in Hell.[2] The show was originally developed by Less Than Rent Theatre as a short solo comedy under the title Diva and premiered at Theatre Row as part of the 2013 United Solo Theatre Festival.[3]

Productions

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The world premiere of DIVA: Live from Hell opened at Theater for the New City in Manhattan on March 23, 2017 and played 16 performances, closing on April 9, 2017.[4] It was directed by Daniel Goldstein and starred Nora Brigid Monahan as Desmond Channing and all of the other onstage characters. Broadway veterans Penny Fuller, Charles Busch, and Seth Rudetsky made voiceover cameos in the original production.[5]

In 2018, DIVA: Live from Hell was given a one-night performance by Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera as part of the SPARK festival of small-cast musicals.[6] For this performance, Monahan once again played Desmond Channing and Oyen served as musical director and pianist.

In 2020, a London production was announced to open at the Jack Studio Theatre, directed by Joe McNeice and starring Jak Malone of Operation Mincemeat.[7] The production was slated to begin performances on March 17, 2020, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] In 2022, a new production directed by McNeice opened at The Turbine Theatre in London starring Luke Bayer, who received rave reviews,[9] as well as an Off West End Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.[10] Bayer returned to the show in 2024 in a remounted production that played London's King's Head Theatre before a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[11]

A Portuguese translation of the musical premiered in Rio de Janeiro in 2025 under the title Diva: Ao Vivo do Inferno! The production was directed by Hugo Kerth, who also starred as Desmond Channing.[12]

Other productions include a second Pittsburgh production in 2023 at the Steel City Arts Foundation's Sunken Bus Studios starring comedian Matty Malloy[13] and a Philadelphia production in 2024 starring Jack Taylor as part of the Philly Fringe Festival.[14]

Recordings

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A Diva: Live from Hell original cast album was released in 2019, featuring a new studio recording of the score as well as live recordings from the 2017 world premiere production.[15] The double album featured Nora Brigid Monahan as Desmond Channing and the following track list:

  1. "The Overture!" – Desmond Channing
  2. "Live from Hell!" – Desmond Channing
  3. "Highest Heights!" – Desmond Channing, Evan Harris
  4. "His Best Friend!" – Allie Hewitt
  5. "Strong!" – Evan Harris
  6. "The Big Time!" – Desmond Channing, Mr. Dallas
  7. "Diva!" – Mr. Dallas, Desmond Channing
  8. "How's the Show?!" – Desmond Channing, Allie Hewitt, Mr. Dallas
  9. "The Executive Order!" – Desmond Channing
  10. "Rock Bottom!" – Desmond Channing
  11. "Desmond's Epiphany!" – Desmond Channing
  12. "The Bows!" – Desmond Channing
  13. "Live From Hell! (Live Version)" – Desmond Channing
  14. "Highest Heights! (Live Version)" – Desmond Channing, Evan Harris
  15. "His Best Friend! (Live Version)" – Allie Hewitt
  16. "Strong! (Live Version)" – Evan Harris
  17. "The Big Time! (Live Version)" – Desmond Channing, Mr. Dallas
  18. "Diva! (Live Version)" – Mr. Dallas, Desmond Channing
  19. "How's the Show?! (Live Version)" – Desmond Channing, Allie Hewitt, Mr. Dallas
  20. "The Executive Order! (Live Version) – Desmond Channing
  21. "Rock Bottom! (Live Version)" – Desmond Channing
  22. "Desmond's Epiphany! (Live Version)" – Desmond Channing

In 2023, a London studio cast recording featuring Luke Bayer was released, which featured a larger band with new orchestrations as well as several additional excerpts from monologues in the show[16] on the following track list:

  1. "Overture!" – Desmond Channing
  2. "All About Evan!" – Desmond Channing
  3. "Live from Hell!" – Desmond Channing
  4. "Dear Evan Harris!" – Desmond Channing, Evan Harris, Mr. Dallas
  5. "Highest Heights!" – Desmond Channing, Evan Harris
  6. "His Best Friend!" – Allie Hewitt
  7. "Strong!" – Evan Harris
  8. "The Big Time!" – Desmond Channing, Mr. Dallas
  9. "The Letter!" – Desmond Channing
  10. "Diva!" – Mr. Dallas, Desmond Channing
  11. "How's the Show?!" – Desmond Channing, Allie Hewitt, Mr. Dallas
  12. "The Executive Order!" – Desmond Channing
  13. "Rock Bottom!" – Desmond Channing
  14. "Desmond's Epiphany!" – Desmond Channing
  15. "He Gets Me!" – Desmond Channing
  16. "Finale!" – Desmond Channing
  17. "Bows!" – Desmond Channing

References

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  1. ^ "DIVA: Live from Hell". Broadway Licensing. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  2. ^ "Dramatists Play Service, Inc". www.dramatists.com. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  3. ^ Desk, BWW News. "Monahan & Oyen's Devilish New Musical DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL to Warm Up TNC This Spring". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-04-19. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ "Diva: Live From Hell Heads to Theater for the New City - TheaterMania.com". 2017-02-27. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  5. ^ Viagas, Robetr (March 10, 2017). "Charles Busch and Penny Fuller Lend Their Voices to Diva: Live From Hell". Playbill.com.
  6. ^ "SPARK 2018". www.pittsburghclo.org. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  7. ^ Tossell, Shaun (2020-01-30). "JAK MALONE ANNOUNCED FOR DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL". Theatre Fan. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  8. ^ "WATCH THIS: Let Jak Malone & Joe McNeice tell you more about Diva: Live From Hell | Blog". Stage Faves. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  9. ^ Akbar, Arifa (2022-08-21). "Diva: Live from Hell! review – killer humour and murderous teen rivalry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  10. ^ Dillon, Luke (2023-02-12). "The Offies 2023 Awards – Winners announced | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  11. ^ Davies, Paul T. (2024-08-22). "DIVA: Live from Hell!". FringeReview. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  12. ^ "Amaury Jr.: 'Diva: Ao Vivo do Inferno! -- o musical' chega ao Brasil em curta temporada". UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2025-04-09. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  13. ^ Buzzelli, Michael (2023-09-06). "Matty Malloy is the Diva: Live From Hell". QBurgh. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  14. ^ Cristi, A. A. "DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL! Starring Jack Taylor To Debut At 2024 Philly Fringe Festival". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  15. ^ Diva: Live from Hell - 2018 Original Cast, retrieved 2025-04-19
  16. ^ "London Studio Cast Album of DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL now streaming on all platforms". West End Best Friend. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
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