Production photographs are out for Deep-Heat Rivalry, the adults-only hockey romp from Trevor Ashley and Phil Scott now running at The Other Palace Studio until 11 October.
The pictures, taken by Mark Senior, put the company on a rink-side set of goal nets, benches and boards, lit in club-night pinks and purples. Sario Solomon plays Shane Hollandaise and Jason Leigh Winter plays Ilya Stroganoff, with Ross Chisari as Puck and Diana Vickers as THE Diva.
The billing is a porno panto parody on ice, and the plot does not pretend to be more than that. Hollandaise and Stroganoff are star players and sworn rivals whose collisions on the ice are hiding the inconvenient fact that they have fallen for one another. The show bills itself as only very loosely inspired by a hit television series, and the evening runs on camp, innuendo, parody numbers that move from power ballad to party pop, and some nudity. It is billed for ages 18 and over, with warnings for strong language, adult themes and nudity.
The pairing behind it has form. Ashley, an Olivier nominee, directs as well as co-writing, and the partnership with Scott, co-creator of Sydney Theatre Company's long-running Wharf Revue, has already produced Australian panto hits including Fat Swan. Ashley is also on stage in the West End at present, as Roger De Bris in The Producers at the Garrick Theatre.
The cast's credits include Grease for Solomon, Disney's Hercules for Jason Leigh Winter and Moulin Rouge! The Musical in the West End for Chisari. Vickers, whose stage work includes The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, drew strong notices as Gwyneth Paltrow in the parody musical I Wish You Well at the Edinburgh Fringe and in the West End.
Choreography is by Mitchell Harper, with set design by Reuben Speed, costumes by Angie White and lighting by Tom Boucher.
Deep-Heat Rivalry runs at The Other Palace Studio, 12 Palace Street, until Sunday 11 October 2026. Performances are Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm, with Saturday matinees at 4.30pm and Sunday shows at 3pm and 6.30pm; the running time is 75 minutes with no interval. Tickets for the full run start at £34, after previews priced from £26.
