Underbelly Soho Review 13 October 2026

Three Susans introduce Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorised Musical Parody, representing the women who simply cannot get enough of gay hockey players with big butts. And big butts, particularly Ilya’s, are quite literally the butt of many of the jokes, both in and out of song.

From there, the show rattles through all the important moments from the first series of Heated Rivalry, adding another layer of jokes to virtually every scene. They are frequently silly, frequently filthy and packed with innuendo, and the audience laps up every one.

Almost all of the cast switch between multiple roles, with Shane seemingly the exception, and they do an excellent job of creating distinctly different characters at considerable speed. More importantly for something billing itself as a musical parody, they are also excellent singers.

One character is even played by an audience member. The volunteer initially appears slightly reluctant, although once onstage they seem remarkably confident and throw themselves into the part.

The production breaks the fourth wall several times, including a knowing acknowledgement that audiences apparently cannot get enough of Heated Rivalry parodies. They may have a point. This is now the fourth different parody of the series I’ve seen this year, and remarkably, they’ve all managed to find their own comic angle on exactly the same source material.

There is some near nudity, inevitably, although the sex scenes are actually less outrageous than some of the other Heated Rivalry parodies I’ve encountered. This version relies just as much on the writing, performances and songs as it does on the opportunity to get its hockey players out of their kit.

And the songs are genuinely excellent, with fabulous musical arrangements and a rich, full sound that gives the production the feel of a much bigger musical. The cast have the vocal talent to match, delivering the numbers with confidence and comic flair. Two particular standouts are This Fuck Was Different and Big Ass Cold Heart, titles that rather neatly sum up the show’s gloriously irreverent approach to its source material.

What makes the production work so well is that it clearly understands both its source material and its audience. The humour may be outrageous, but there’s a real affection for the characters beneath all the silliness. The cast throw themselves into the ridiculousness with tremendous energy, and the whole thing moves along at a cracking pace.

Having now seen four different parodies of Heated Rivalry this year, you might imagine the joke would be wearing a little thin. Not a bit of it. This production finds fresh humour in familiar scenes, delivers genuinely excellent musical numbers and boasts a cast who can sing, act and make you laugh in equal measure.

It’s gloriously silly, unapologetically filthy and tremendous fun. I really couldn’t fault it.

Five stars, and not just for Ilya’s big ass.

Show	Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody
Dates & Times	13 Oct – 1 Nov 2026 Various times check with venue below
Venue & Booking	Underbelly Soho

Disclosure: I purchased ticket for this