Those who have been following our blog since day one (which is an incredible five whole years ago) will be aware that we started as a blog exclusively reviewing new musical theatre recordings from all over the world. If anyone is interested you can read our first-ever review of the Bodyguard at Wales Millennium at https://getthechance.wales/2019/04/19/review-the-bodyguard-wales-millennium-centre-by-rhys-payne/ This is why we were absolutely devastated when we’d were NOT invited to be a guest judge on the Kings royal variety show. As avid theatre fans and a professional reviewer it would make perfect sense if we were one of the voices of power on the panel whoever we can’t moan too much as we did grace the panel on week two and was invited back to present the Mrs Congeniality award at the finale (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/03/25/kings-final-production-review/) When we actually sit down and think about it thought being encouraged to critique new performers and their tribute to beloved musicals may have dimmed some of the magic of the musical we have come to love. This is why we were overjoyed when we were invited to Hell Haus’ third bi-monthly production which paid homage to musical theatre. Having attended multiple Hell Haus events previously (the most recent of which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/02/07/hell-haus-2-production-review/) we know that these events are always totally immersive with buckets full of audience participation while also shining a light on local performers and on top of all this it was a tribute to one of our favourite genres!
Hosting the entire event was the fabulous Vanity Act (who were actually interviewed on our YouTube channel which is available at https://youtu.be/QBtsisDtCH0?si=LhUSpn2eBZaeFGeI) who as always not only not helped to ensure the audience stayed excited about every single act and treated the audience to a plethora of fabulous performances but also helped to promote the incredible cause that this event was supporting. The amazing AliBama (who we also interviewed on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/CYGayeblVJk?si=LshDCjvC9ElvEDJC) is currently in the process of receiving gender confirmation surgery and this, of course, is coming at a massive cost. We at Rhys Reviews obviously wish this Cardiff Icon the best of luck with this and want to encourage everyone to donate (if they can) to support this incredible person. If you can donate the page is available at https://gofund.me/b122ba9f and any donations would be greatly appreciated! In terms of performance, Vanity opened the entire show with a rendition of Welcome to Burlesque which was an incredible choice as the narrative of this song is also about introducing a performance which made perfect sense as this was the opening song. I thought it was an extremely brave choice to have a high-energy dance sequence towards the end of the number as this would usually be the point where performers become tired and out of breath but Vanity did not seem fazed in the slightest!
Next up was a queen I am not particularly familiar with Star Lapoolza who decided to perform the iconic “Pulled” from the musical Adam’s Family. This live vocal performance was one of the greatest renditions of this song we have seen in a very long time with Star making every vocal moment seem effortless! They managed to capture the usually intense personality of Wednesday Adam as she began to realise there was more to life than just darkness and misery. The story was perfectly captured through Stars’ use of physicality, facial experience and tonality which made for a highly entertaining and incredibly mesmerising performance. For their second performance of the evening, they opted for a rendition of Meet the Plastics from the musical Mean Girls. This track was performed by the wonderful Aqueena during the aforementioned musical week at Kings where we actually also graced the stage as one of the two backing dancers. Star’s rendition however was a live vocal performance which leaned into the more rock elements which was a fantastic inclusion considering the fact that Hell Haus took place in the rock bar Fuel. Star showcased incredible stage presence as they strutted around the stage while belting this extremely vocally challenging song which made had the audience hanging on their every word!
The next performer of the evening was the fabulous Catrin Feelings (who we have also interviewed on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/kNcQ0CmlvgE?si=LgLRH_WoRkt0qNnT) who showcased a performance of one of our favourite songs from Mean Girls the musical! “Sexy” is a song we were recently introduced to at a party and goes on an adventure from an almost pagent-style presentation and very quickly spirals into the characters sharing their love of Halloween. After running through a series of potential “sexy” costumes Catrin had changed the lyrics of the song to reveal an owl outfit under what she was wearing. While the original lyrics are about a sexy mouse, I really enjoyed the fact that Catrin was able to adapt the song and still keep in this element of theatrics while still being animal-based. Catrin managed to perfectly portray the over-the-top character while also injecting a wonderful amount of camp into the performance. Their next performance was a rendition of “What the World Needs” is people like me from the musical Ride the Cyclone (which we recently saw them perform at the most recent Cabaret of Queerosities which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/04/02/cabaret-of-queerosities-4-production-review/) This is a high energy and extremely camp number that see the character boast about all the great things they have done while putting down everyone else. Catrin was able to capture this character in such an easy that the comedic overtones were painfully clear so that even when insulting the audience no one took it too seriously. Those who have been following Catrin Feelings will know that she has built a name for herself for being the queen of camp and so it was extremely surprising when she decided to deliver an extremely emotional ballad during this iteration of Hell Haus. Catrin decided to showcase an incredible rendition of “Hold Me in Your Arms” from Kinky Boots which is an emotional and powerful song that Catrin covered wonderfully!
Next up was the fabulous Glas who has performed at every single Hell Haus event thus far and always makes sure to deliver vocally impressive performances. They decided to showcase a rendition of the wonderful fun “Don’t Let Me Go” from Shrek the Musical. This number is performed by the character Donkey in the musical and if you know anything about the Shrek franchise, Donkey is an extremely charismatic and energetic character which Glas was able to capture wonderfully. They not only delivered a vocally strong performance but Glas was also able to inject the perfect amount of comedy which worked wonderfully with the song! In an almost total contrast to this wonderfully over-the-top character, Glas also decided to strip back all the flamboyant to showcase a rendition of “Waving Through a Window” from Dear Evan Hansen which is one of the toughest songs to sing but Glas did not struggle in the slightest! Every single moment was beautifully performed and the drastic key change towards the song was performed flawlessly. I have to say however that my favourite performance from Glas this evening would have to be when they revealed a handmade hand puppet and began performing the wonderfully eccentric “We both reached for the gun” from Chicago. This incredibly fast-paced song (usually performed by two separate people) is difficult to perform at the best of times but when you are voicing two different characters the pressure must have been immense. Glas however was totally unfazed by this delivering a highly entertaining and me snoring performance flipping between the two distinct performers.
Completing this line-up was another queen I was not particularly familiar with but going forward I am absolutely going to be keeping an eye on Elissa Cortez’s their set began with a fabulous rendition of Mrs Baltimore Crabs from Hairspray (which was actually one of the last musicals I ever performed in) Elisa had clearly thought about every detail of her performance as the silver dress she decided to wear looked extremely fabulous which matched the song perfectly. At one point in the set, they looked out into the audience for an Elphaba to perform alongside them for a tribute to one of the biggest musicals to ever exist Wicked. You know we never miss an opportunity to get onto a stage and I thought it would be a dazzling vocal showcase of defying gravity as this has become somewhat of a drag staple in recent years but instead, I was hilariously used as someone in need of a “popular” style makeover. As we sat on the chair staring into the audience Elissa carefully danced around us using us as an image of someone in dire need of a change. The audience seemed to really enjoy this number and we thoroughly enjoyed being invited to be even just a very small part of the routine! My favourite performance from Elissa however came in the second act where they decided to showcase their incredible dance abilities with a high-energy kinky boots medley. At one point they even pulled out a gorgeous backwards handspring in heels which was incredible to watch!
Overall, Hell Haus continues to be a fabulous platform for new and emerging performers to showcase their talents. Not only did the team pay tribute to musical theatre (which instantly gets bonus points from us) but the range of songs/musicals selected meant that everyone from die-hard to casual musical fans could have something to sing along to. I know what you are all wondering, if by some miracle we found ourselves as a part of this iteration of Hell Haus what would I do? I think I would open with a rendition of the iconic I am what I am from La Cage de follies (which has been planned in my head for a very long time) and this would t transition into the powerful I’m here from the colour purples. My second set of performances would be much more flamboyant with a rendition of “Poor unfortunate souls” from the little mermaid into the classic “Sweet transvestite” from the Rocky horror picture show! Regardless of what I would have done, I would rate this third iteration of Hell Haus 5 out of 5 stars!
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