Deep-Heat Rivalry | The Other Palace Studio

If you’re looking for serious hockey, emotional restraint and a completely accurate understanding of how sport works, perhaps look elsewhere. If you’re looking for innuendo, ridiculousness, powerhouse vocals, fabulous costumes, parody songs, filthy jokes and a cast having the time of their lives, get yourself to The Other Palace.

The show follows hockey rivals Shane Hollandaise and Ilya Stroganoff, two supposedly sworn enemies whose rivalry on the ice is a little more complicated than it first appears. There are bruises, body checks, plenty of tension and a romance that is about as subtle as a slap shot to the face. The whole thing is deliciously over the top and knows exactly what kind of show it is.

There are moments where you’re laughing at the joke, then realise what they’ve actually said, then laughing even harder because of the sheer commitment to the bit. It’s wonderfully silly and never seems to take itself remotely seriously.

Diana Vickers as the Diva is an absolute standout. She completely owns the stage with a character who is every inch the diva, and delivers some seriously powerhouse vocals along the way. Her performances as Claudia Winkleman (or Wink-at-her), Celine Dion and Norma Desmond were particular highlights. Each one was completely bonkers in the best way, and the Claudia Winkleman moment had the audience crying with laughter. The vocal ability mixed with the comedy is such a winning combination.

Sario Solomon as Shane Hollandaise is brilliant. He is charismatic, funny and completely committed to the absurdity of the character. He plays the whole situation with exactly the right amount of ridiculousness while still giving Shane enough charm to make you root for him. Jason Leigh Winter as Ilya Stroganoff is equally fantastic, with special mention to that Russian accent, because the commitment is impressive. He stays with it throughout and plays the character with such wonderfully exaggerated intensity. The chemistry between Shane and Ilya is exactly what this sort of outrageous parody needs.

And then there’s Ross Chisari as Puck. Cheeky, hilarious and perfectly placed as the narrator, Puck feels like he knows exactly how ridiculous the entire show is, and is there to make sure the audience knows it too. The whole cast has such fantastic comic timing. There’s a real sense that everyone is completely committed to the world they’ve created, no matter how unhinged the moment becomes. That commitment is what makes the comedy land so well. It’s camp, chaotic, cheeky and gloriously theatrical.

And the costumes by Angie White absolutely deserve a mention. They fit the tone of the show perfectly; bold, silly, glamorous and just the right amount of outrageous. There are some brilliant visual gags woven into the costumes, and they add so much to the overall ridiculousness of the production. Definitely don’t let the costumes go unnoticed.

Deep-Heat Rivalry never seems afraid to be silly. It leans completely into parody and throws everything at the audience; romance, sport, pop culture, musical theatre, diva behaviour and enough double entendres to fill an entire penalty box. You don’t need to know anything about hockey to enjoy it either. In fact, knowing absolutely nothing about hockey may actually enhance the experience. The show gleefully plays with the conventions of the sports drama while creating its own wonderfully chaotic little universe.

It’s camp, cheeky, filthy, wonderfully daft and incredibly entertaining. Exactly the sort of show where you leave the theatre with a massive grin on your face and immediately want to tell someone about your favourite moment, although choosing just one is practically impossible.

Deep-Heat Rivalry plays at The Other Palace Studio until 11th October - tickets and more information can be found here.

★★★★★ (5*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Mark Senior