Directed By Christopher Ashley; Book By Joe DiPietro; Starring Jeanna de Waal, Roe Hartrampf, Erin Davie, and Judy Kaye.
In this biographical musical, Princess Diana (Jeanna de Waal) finds herself at odds with her husband (Roe Hartrampf), an unrelenting news media, and the monarchy itself. Leading fiercely with her heart, Princess Diana stands up for her family, her country and herself, while managing to capture the hearts of the world. She defied expectations, she rocked the royals and she created a legacy that will endure forever.
There appears to be quite a bit of fever going on for Princess Diana at the moment. There was Emma Corrin's much talked about performance on the most recent season of The Crown, Kristen Stewart is already gaining Oscar buzz for her portrayal in the upcoming movie, Spencer, and now there's this. Diana happens to be one of the shows that was in the middle of previews when Broadway shutdown back in March of 2020. Yet a few months later, the cast and creative team reunited to do a proshot taping of the musical, and is now available to stream on Netflix prior to restarting in-person performances on November 2nd.
In the beginning, I wasn’t sure what to make of this musical. However, it actually did get better for me throughout. For a story that is set over the course of multiple years, book writer Joe DiPietro wisely keeps the story focused on the romantic relationship between Princess Diana and Prince Charles. For the score, composer/lyricist David Bryan, in collaboration with co-lyricist Joe DiPietro, went in an interesting direction by having it be more evocative of British rock music from the 1980s and 1990s. Some of the songs in particular sound like something you’d hear on the radio back then.
Under the direction of Christopher Ashley, he has everything in the staging move very cinematically. Without giving anything away, there’s a moment at the end of the show where the use of Natasha Katz’s lighting designs along with the work of the ensemble make for such a moving finale. Not to mention the costumes designed by William Ivey Long do indeed look very stunning.
In the coveted role of Princess Diana, Jeanna de Waal gives quite an elegant performance. The journey her character takes over the course of the musical provides the actress a number of opportunities to display a wide range of emotions. She is well matched by Roe Hartrampf, who gives a strong performance as Diana’s husband, Prince Charles. Erin Davie not only provides a spunky personality as Charles’ lover, Camilla Parker Bowles, but she also has her share of heartfelt moments as well. Judy Kaye plays two different roles. As Queen Elizabeth II, she offers a very effective number near the end of the show titled ‘An Officer’s Wife’. Though as Barbara Cartland, she gives memorable appearances in both acts of the show.
Overall, I found Diana to be an entertaining look at one of the most significant romantic relationships in the history of the Royal Family. While it’s understandable why this musical was taped without an audience as it was at that point only a few months into the pandemic, it still felt weird not hearing any sounds of an audience reacting to the action on stage. Though with that being said, this capture (which I thought was put together pretty well) should still be able to give the musical plenty of publicity for when it restarts performances on Broadway next month.
Rating: 3.5/5
In this biographical musical, Princess Diana (Jeanna de Waal) finds herself at odds with her husband (Roe Hartrampf), an unrelenting news media, and the monarchy itself. Leading fiercely with her heart, Princess Diana stands up for her family, her country and herself, while managing to capture the hearts of the world. She defied expectations, she rocked the royals and she created a legacy that will endure forever.
There appears to be quite a bit of fever going on for Princess Diana at the moment. There was Emma Corrin's much talked about performance on the most recent season of The Crown, Kristen Stewart is already gaining Oscar buzz for her portrayal in the upcoming movie, Spencer, and now there's this. Diana happens to be one of the shows that was in the middle of previews when Broadway shutdown back in March of 2020. Yet a few months later, the cast and creative team reunited to do a proshot taping of the musical, and is now available to stream on Netflix prior to restarting in-person performances on November 2nd.
In the beginning, I wasn’t sure what to make of this musical. However, it actually did get better for me throughout. For a story that is set over the course of multiple years, book writer Joe DiPietro wisely keeps the story focused on the romantic relationship between Princess Diana and Prince Charles. For the score, composer/lyricist David Bryan, in collaboration with co-lyricist Joe DiPietro, went in an interesting direction by having it be more evocative of British rock music from the 1980s and 1990s. Some of the songs in particular sound like something you’d hear on the radio back then.
Under the direction of Christopher Ashley, he has everything in the staging move very cinematically. Without giving anything away, there’s a moment at the end of the show where the use of Natasha Katz’s lighting designs along with the work of the ensemble make for such a moving finale. Not to mention the costumes designed by William Ivey Long do indeed look very stunning.
In the coveted role of Princess Diana, Jeanna de Waal gives quite an elegant performance. The journey her character takes over the course of the musical provides the actress a number of opportunities to display a wide range of emotions. She is well matched by Roe Hartrampf, who gives a strong performance as Diana’s husband, Prince Charles. Erin Davie not only provides a spunky personality as Charles’ lover, Camilla Parker Bowles, but she also has her share of heartfelt moments as well. Judy Kaye plays two different roles. As Queen Elizabeth II, she offers a very effective number near the end of the show titled ‘An Officer’s Wife’. Though as Barbara Cartland, she gives memorable appearances in both acts of the show.
Overall, I found Diana to be an entertaining look at one of the most significant romantic relationships in the history of the Royal Family. While it’s understandable why this musical was taped without an audience as it was at that point only a few months into the pandemic, it still felt weird not hearing any sounds of an audience reacting to the action on stage. Though with that being said, this capture (which I thought was put together pretty well) should still be able to give the musical plenty of publicity for when it restarts performances on Broadway next month.
Rating: 3.5/5