DIVA: Live From Hell

DIVA: Live from Hell
MusicAlexander Sage Oyen
LyricsAlexander Sage Oyen
BookNora Brigid Monahan
SettingHell (cabaret act), high school (flashbacks)
Productions
  • 2013 United Solo Theatre Festival, New York, NY (as Diva)
  • 2017 Theater for the New City, New York, NY (World Premiere of DIVA: Live from Hell)
  • 2018 Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh, PA
  • 2020 Out Front Theatre Company, Atlanta, GA
  • 2021 Fringe Theatre of Key West, Key West, FL
  • 2021 Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance, Winston-Salem, NC
  • 2022 The Turbine Theatre, London, UK (London Premiere)
  • 2023 Steel City Arts, Pittsburgh, PA
  • 2024 King's Head Theatre, London, UK
  • 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh, UK
  • 2024 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2025 Teatro Cesgranrio, Rio de Janeiro, BR (Portuguese-language Premiere)

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

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 (then appearing under the name Sean Patrick Monahan)[5] 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.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8] The production was slated to begin performances on March 17, 2020, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] In 2022, a new production directed by McNeice opened at The Turbine Theatre in London starring Luke Bayer, who received rave reviews,[10] as well as an Off West End Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.[11] 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.[12]

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.[13]

Other productions include a second Pittsburgh production in 2023 at the Steel City Arts Foundation's Sunken Bus Studios starring comedian Matty Malloy[14] and a Philadelphia production in 2024 starring Jack Taylor as part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.[15]

Recordings

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.[16] 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[17] 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

  1. ^ "DIVA: Live from Hell". Broadway Licensing. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  2. ^ "Dramatists Play Service, Inc". www.dramatists.com. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  3. ^ BWW News Desk. "Monahan & Oyen's Devilish New Musical DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL to Warm Up TNC This Spring". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  4. ^ "Diva: Live From Hell Heads to Theater for the New City - TheaterMania.com". 2017-02-27. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  5. ^ Block, Michael. "Review: A Hell-uva Show". Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  6. ^ Viagas, Robetr (March 10, 2017). "Charles Busch and Penny Fuller Lend Their Voices to Diva: Live From Hell". Playbill.com.
  7. ^ "SPARK 2018". www.pittsburghclo.org. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  8. ^ Tossell, Shaun (2020-01-30). "JAK MALONE ANNOUNCED FOR DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL". Theatre Fan. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  9. ^ "WATCH THIS: Let Jak Malone & Joe McNeice tell you more about Diva: Live From Hell | Blog". Stage Faves. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Dillon, Luke (2023-02-12). "The Offies 2023 Awards – Winners announced | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  12. ^ Davies, Paul T. (2024-08-22). "DIVA: Live from Hell!". FringeReview. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ Buzzelli, Michael (2023-09-06). "Matty Malloy is the Diva: Live From Hell". QBurgh. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  15. ^ Cristi, A. A. "DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL! Starring Jack Taylor To Debut At 2024 Philly Fringe Festival". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
  16. ^ Diva: Live from Hell - 2018 Original Cast, retrieved 2025-04-19
  17. ^ "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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