Fringe Review: Hi I'm Phoenix Hellfire

Dates: Aug 21 – Aug 31, 2025

Location: Fringe Venue 4 (Skam Theatre)

Artist / Company: Dahlia-Raphael, Vancouver, BC

Duration: 35 mins

Rating: Adult themes, coarse language

Genre: Drag, Cabaret, Storytelling

Hi I'm Phoenix Hellfire centers on Dhalia, raised by their grandmother amid childhood struggles. Their father is missing in action; their mother battles addiction. In this vulnerability, Dhalia forms a pact with a guardian demon—Phoenix Hellfire—who both encourages and provokes them. The narrative traces Dhalia’s journey through depression and transformation, ultimately arriving at their breakthrough as a drag performer. The show blends storytelling with dynamic drag and lip-sync performances.

Highlights

• Great lip-syncing, dance, physicality in general

• Perfect song choices

• Lots of authentic emotion, strong stage presence

• Positive and inspiring message

Workshop Notes

• It would be great to see more dramatization of childhood scenes rather than exposition/monologue

• An element of circularity could round out the show, which could possibly come from a less linear portrayal

• The performer could rework blocking to stay more open to the audience, and shorten or better integrate the offstage costume changes so they build momentum rather than interrupt it

Rating

A very enjoyable ★★★½

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The Victoria Fringe Festival, presented by Intrepid Theatre since 1986, has become a cornerstone of the city’s arts scene, known for its unjuried, anything-goes approach to performance. For Carmunist and Septimus, Fringe is the highlight of the year. We’ve been involved as volunteers for more than a decade, and more recently, we’ve opened our home to performers as billets. Reviewing Fringe shows is something we’ve talked about for some time, and now we’re putting our experience as fiction editors and theatre stans to work, offering our thoughts and workshop notes for as many performances as we can attend.

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