The MVP: Alex Brightman Is the Chameleonic, Triple-Cast Denizen of the Hellaverse

You don’t have to look very deep to see that Hazbin Hotel is full of colorful characters. They become even more than their outlandish designs thanks to a roster of Broadway megastars and underrated Hollywood A-listers. There is a bit of double-casting within Hazbin, as well as between it and its sister show Helluva Boss, which make up the Hellaverse. But everything from Kimiko Glenn’s constant frenetic energy as Niffty to Richard Steven Horvitz nailing Moxxie’s darker side is surpassed by the triple-casting of two-time Tony nominee Alex Brightman.

Brightman’s foremost role in Hazbin Hotel is Sir Pentious, a humanoid cobra (many of this Hell’s residents have animalistic designs) with animate “Egg Boiz” to do his “evil bidding.” In creator Vivienne Mednrano’s lore, Pentious was a Victorian-era inventor in life. He is very pompous, fitting the image of a villain who seeks validation by defeating an enemy, possibly gaining the approval of fellow, obviously much more competent villains.

Brightman gives an enjoyable performance in the scene that introduces Pentious to the show. With puffed-up importance and goofy bravado, the actor places the character in the school of performative, bumbling villains such as Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Megamind. The funny thing about this archetype is that they can easily flip into a ride-or-die friend. Brightman also maintains the character’s signature affectation, using a raspy “snake” voice with a hiss on every “s” sound.