“Hazbin Hotel” dropped on Amazon Prime Video, setting new records for the streaming service
By: Austin Gonzales
“Hazbin Hotel” focuses on Charlie Morningstar, daughter of Lucifer, who opens up a hotel in Hell to reform demons for Heaven. The hotel staff are Vaggie, Husk, Alastor the Radio Demon, and hotel-guest Angel Dust.
The series is an eight-episode musical comedy based on the viral YouTube pilot by Vivienne Medrano. In the four years since its upload, the pilot has attracted over 97 million viewers. After gaining the attention of studio A24, the series would find a home with Prime Video.
Among the cast are two University of Michigan Alumni. The lead character, Charlie, is portrayed by Erika Henningsen. Henningsen graduated from Michigan in 2014 with a bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Musical Theater. After graduation, Henningsen landed a recurring role on the Peacock series “Girls5eva.”
Angel Dust voice actor, Blake Roman, also graduated from Michigan with a Bachelor’s of Fine
Arts in Musical Theater.
“. . . Blake as the incoming voice of Angel Dust, who, first of all, discovered straight out of school, no broadway, tv, film, voice acting – nothing,” Sam Haft, the composer and songwriter for “Hazbin Hotel,” tells The Geeky Waffle in a YouTube interview. “He suddenly appeared and just blew everyone away.”
Each episode features two musical performances, with standout performances by Roman and Henningsen. Roman especially stands out with his performance of “Poison” in episode four, reflecting on the character’s abusive relationship in the series with his boss. “Happy Day in Hell” is the perfect opening song to the series, performed by Henningsen as Charlie. Henningsen captures the bright cheerful optimism of Charlie, all set to the chaotic noise of Hell, which really sets the series’ tone.
“Hazbin Hotel” is a wonderfully fun time. The cast delivers excellent performances and the songs will get stuck in your head. The animation is gorgeously smooth and flows with the hectic nature of Hell. All eight episodes are now streaming on Prime Video. So, why not check in and see what all the fuss has been about?
