Review: Deep-Heat Rivalry (The Other Palace Studio)

Review by Sam Woodward

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Heated Rivalry skated onto screens at the end of 2025 and became an instant success. Receiving critical acclaim and adoration from fans across the world, the TV series became the most-watched original series on Canadian streaming service Crave. This global sensation was quickly renewed for a second series, which is scheduled to return in spring 2027. In the lull between the first and second series, a number of Heated Rivalry-inspired events, parodies and even lookalike contests have emerged. The newest entry is the parody musical Deep-Heat Rivalry, which opened last night at The Other Palace Studio. Filled with explicit references and even more explicit jokes and costumes, would this show melt my heart or leave me feeling icily cold?

For those who have managed to avoid the Heated Rivalry hysteria over the past year, it is a Canadian series based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels, taking its title from the second instalment, published in 2019. Following two young professional ice hockey players, it becomes a queer sports romance built around the contrast between Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s on-ice rivalry and their private sexual relationship, which gradually develops from a casual hook-up into something more meaningful. It is a beautiful love story, but one filled with raunchy, intimate scenes that make for both a moving and exciting watch, perhaps explaining why it has gripped so many viewers.

Deep-Heat Rivalry certainly plays into one of those, and it is not the love story. Written by Trevor Ashley and Phil Scott, both of whom know a thing or two about camp musical theatre, this production leans heavily into pop-cultural satire, smutty jokes and steamy scenes. Touted as somewhere between a porno and a panto, it combines the naughtiness and audience interaction of a drag show with the energy and vocal power of a musical. This is never a bad place to land, particularly when it is written with enough precision and wit to keep the audience laughing almost continuously. Nothing takes itself too seriously, from the characters’ names, Shane Hollandaise and Ilya Stroganoff, to smutty jokes about the players “coming up against each other”. The humour is unabashedly lowbrow, but the production leans into its own ridiculousness so completely that it gets away with it.

Ashley not only co-writes the show but directs and produces it too. His direction makes inventive and resourceful use of such a small space, transforming it into an ice rink, apartment and locker room, to name just a few. Reuben Speed’s simple but effective set allows this rapid succession of locations to work surprisingly well. The hockey goal doubles as a shower, a table becomes a hospital bed, a stage and a seat, and a hockey stick becomes… well, you get the idea. Not even the microphones are safe from being turned into innuendo. While the craziness of this risqué production often lands well, there are times when it drifts too far into chaos and confusion. Too many character changes, pop-cultural and musical references and scene transitions are occasionally shoehorned into an already overfull production. With slightly greater clarity between them, this brilliantly funny show could shine even brighter, and hotter, than it already does.

Diana Vickers, who first came to prominence as a semi-finalist on The X Factor in 2008 and more recently played Gwyneth Paltrow in I Wish You Well, plays The Diva. She is responsible for perfectly timed interventions that help move the story along while adding an even more ludicrous layer to the musical. She does so with impressive precision, glorious vocals and a natural sense of humour. Her voice shines whether she is performing as The Diva, Céline Dion or Nicole Scherzinger, and she brings an incredible amount of energy and power to the stage. Through no fault of her own, however, the role occasionally lands on the wrong side of farcical. Her impressively accurate impression of Claudia Winkleman, brilliantly renamed Claudia Wink-at-Her, alongside spoofs of Sunset Boulevard, Titanique and Anything Goes, sometimes makes it feel as though too much has been thrown at one character. A little pruning would give each impersonation more room to land. None of this takes away from Vickers’ star quality. She remains eye-catching, engaging and vocally impeccable, no easy achievement when so much is happening around her. She is a priceless addition to an already stellar cast, and her impression of Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek will not be easily forgotten.

The other three performers are just as strong as Vickers, and together the four are truly riotous in the best possible way. Ross Chisari has the difficult job of narrating and keeping the show on track. Sitting somewhere between Shakespeare’s Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a fabulously camp MC, he brings a powerhouse voice and wicked humour to the stage. Frequently engaging with the audience, dragging spectators onto the stage and even passionately kissing one lucky audience member, Chisari pulls the production back from unrestrained chaos towards a semblance of order. His Shakespearean monologues are surprisingly strong, while his silliness is a pleasure to watch.

Sario Solomon’s Shane is often the butt of the jokes, yet he also brings a softer edge to the production through strong vocals and a genuinely moving performance. Madonna’s “Holiday”, rewritten as “Hollandaise”, is a great introduction to the character and neatly establishes the parody-jukebox score audiences are in for. Jason Leigh Winter is an enormously powerful presence, not merely because of his stature, but also because of his considerable talent. While his Russian accent occasionally slips into something more closely resembling a Scottish accent, his exquisite voice, effortless tap dancing and spectacular stage presence make it difficult to tear your eyes away. And that is before he strips down to a very tight pair of underpants.

Much of the musical’s success is down to a hard-working team of creatives who, alongside Ashley and Scott, have done tremendous work within such a cramped space and wildly busy script. Mitchell Harper’s choreography shines, particularly in the Anything Goes spoof rewritten as “Everyone’s Gay”. Matt Hockley’s lighting design also plays an important role, while Angie White’s costumes sit tremendously well between hockey gear and glitzy queer spectacle. There is no doubt that everyone involved has poured their heart and soul into creating a risqué, raunchy and raucous night of fun. This production is not for the faint-hearted or easily offended, as jokes about alcoholism, Phillip Schofield and racial stereotypes push the tone even lower; it is determined to offend everyone equally and, more often than not, gets away with it.

For all its occasional chaos, Deep-Heat Rivalry remains a joyous, camp, queer, relevant and gloriously silly musical revue and TV parody that leaves audiences gasping for breath, whether from laughter or shock. It may not be high-class theatre, but the joy comes from the fact that it neither wants nor tries to be. It allows audiences to immerse themselves in foolishness and queer joy for an evening, and that is more than enough. Do not go expecting something that will move you to your core; expect something that will make your soul lift, sing and laugh.

Deep-Heat Rivalry plays at The Other Palace Studio until 11 October. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/musical/deep-heat-rivalry-tickets