Greetings, mortals!
A Video Review Show created by Christi "The Diva" Esterle in 2012, Musical Hell is hosted by Diva, a demon with an F in Evil who has been shuffled off onto a small expansion shelf somewhere between the third and fourth circles of the Inferno. There, her job is to evaluate and punish the sins of the worst movie musicals ever created. The series posted once a month to RVT, RT Gomer Productions, and its own site
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Musical Hell runs in tandem with two spinoffs: Know the Score, a Lighter and Softer companion piece that discusses soundtracks, film and stage musicals, theme songs, and any other form of “dramatic music” that happens to strike Diva’s fancy; and At the Source, where Diva discusses materials that have been adapted into musicals and any changes made in the adaptation process.
In 2023, Esterle announced (in-character) that she would be ending the show and retiring the Diva character in 2024. The show ended on April 24, 2024 with a review of The Devil's Carnival. She still does the other two spinoffs "Know the Score" and "At the Source", though.
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Musicals on which Diva has passed judgement:
- Annie (2014)
- The Apple
- Arabian Knightnote
- At Long Last Love
- Babes in Toyland (1986 Made-for-TV Movie)
- Basmati Blues
- Beauty and the Beast (Golden 1999)
- Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
- Burlesque
- Camelot
- Camp Rock
- Cats (2019)
- Can't Stop the Music
- Charming
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- A Chorus Line
- A Christmas Carol: The Musical
- Christmas is Here Again
- Cinderella (2021)
- The Country Bears
- Country Strong
- Creating Rem Lezar (1989)
- David Copperfield (1993)
- Dear Evan Hansen
- De Lovely
- Descendants
- Descendants 2
- Descendants 3
- The Devil's Carnival
- Dick Deadeye Or Duty Done
- Disco Worms (Crossover with Archer Slam-BAM)
- Doctor Dolittle
- Elf Bowling the Movie: The Great North Pole Elf Strike
- The Fantasticks
- The Fearless Four
- Freaky Friday (2018)
- From Justin to Kelly
- Geppetto
- Glitter
- Golden Films Noahs Ark (1995)
- Grease 2
- Happily Ever After
- Hi Tops
- High School Musical (Crossover with DJ Soundbite)
- Home on the Range
- Hoodwinked!
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Golden Films)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame II
- I Kissed A Vampire (Crossover with Jess World)
- In Search of the Titanic
- Its A Bird Its A Plane Its Superman
- Jekyll & Hyde
- Jem and the Holograms (2015)
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- Journey Back to Oz
- Joyful Noise
- The King And I (1999)
- KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park
- La La Land
- Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
- The Lion King (2019)
- Lisztomania
- A Little Night Music
- The Lorax (2012)
- Lost Horizon (1973)
- Love Never Dies
- Love's Labour's Lost
- Mack The Knife
- The Magic Voyage
- Mame
- Mamma Mia!
- Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
- Man of La Mancha
- The Mighty Kong
- Mr Quilp
- The Music Man (2003)
- Music (2021)
- Never Forget
- Nine (Musical)
- The Nutcracker in 3D
- The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure
- Paint Your Wagon
- The Pebble and the Penguin
- Pennies from Heaven
- Pete's Dragon (1977)
- Peter Pan Live!
- The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
- The Phantom of the Opera (1991)
- Phantom of the Paradise
- Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night
- The Pirate Movie
- Playmobil: The Movie
- Pokémon Live!
- Popeye
- Portal 2: The (Unauthorized) Musical
- The Princess and the Pea
- Quest for Camelot
- Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure
- Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa
- RENT (Crossover with Rufus Reviews)
- Repo! The Genetic Opera
- The Return of Captain Invincible
- Rhinestone
- Rock-A-Doodle
- Rock & Rule
- Rock of Ages (2012)
- Rockula
- Romeo & Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss
- Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1998)
- Saturday's Warrior
- Saving Santa
- The Scarecrow (2000)
- Sci Fi High The Movie Musical
- S Club Seeing Double
- Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire
- The Secret of Anastasia (1997)
- The Secret of the Hunchback (1996)
- The Secret of Mulan (1998)
- The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue
- Sextette
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)
- Shock Treatment
- The Singing Detective
- Sleeping Beauty (1987)
- South Pacific (2001)
- Spiceworld
- Stage Fright (2014)
- Strange Magic
- Sunday School Musical
- The Swan Princess Christmas
- The Swan Princess: A Royal Family Tale
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Coming Out of Their Shells
- The Ten Commandments The Musical
- Thumbelina
- Titanic: The Legend Goes On
- Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
- A Troll in Central Park
- UglyDolls
- Vox Lux
- Walking on Sunshine
- The Wiz
- Xanadu
- Yellow Submarine
- Z-O-M-B-I-E-S (2018)
- Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 2
- Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 3
Musical Hell provides examples of the following tropes:
Know the Score contains examples of:
- Catchphrase: "Hi, I'm Diva from Musical Hell, and I know the score!"
- Lighter and Softer: Rather than playing the role of Caustic Critic for musicals that are at best misguided or weird and at worst borderline unwatchable, Diva explains what makes some of the best musicals what they are or examines the use of popular musical theatre narrative tropes (for example, one video is devoted to the Eleven O'Clock Number, another to the concept of the "I Am" Song and "I Want" Song).
- Ominous Latin Chanting: The opening theme is "O Fortuna".
- Public Domain Animation: The title sequence.
- Signing-Off Catchphrase: "I'm Diva, I know the score, and now so do you."
- Title Drop: It's right there in her opening and closing lines: "I know the score!"
At the Source contains examples of:
- Catchphrase: "So here's how it originally went down..." (before summarizing the source material)
So let it be recorded: this session of the Infernal Court in Musical Hell is now adjourned. (Gavel slam)
