Diana: The Musical
By Charlotte Dekle
Source: Netflix Media Center
logline: The dazzling and devastating life of Princess Diana takes center stage in this original musical, filmed in advance of its official Broadway opening.
Source: IMDb
I am in the vocal minority who ardently support this musical. Since its release in late 2021 on Netflix ahead of its Broadway premiere (a first), Diana The Musical has attracted vehement hatred from theatre and non-theatre kids alike (another first). But I adore this musical, evidenced by the fact that I have seen it on Netflix upwards of a dozen times. In fact, I consider myself one of the DiFanas. I can’t truly pinpoint what makes this show so rewatchable for me. It began as an ironic rewatch but has devolved into unironic territory and a genuine delight. The show does not conclude whether Diana was a mastermind or a ditz; they make a case for both, and her growth justifies neither. At the same time, the establishment royal family comes out relatively unscathed. The show tries to paint a complete portrait of the marriage of Charles and Diana. Still, it makes Charles and his mistress Camilla the most sympathetic characters for being denied their true love because of bureaucratic royal control. Diana’s affair with James Hewitt (introduced in an overly-sexual Act 2 opener) is treated as tawdry and immoral. This show really does not respect Diana enough to treat her dalliance with the same care as Charles and Camilla. To go into each aspect, none are exceptional or worth rewatching. The direction isn’t noteworthy; the set design is almost too serviceable, given the royal family's opulence. The choreography is silly; that is the only word I can use to describe it. The most absurd part of it all is the clumsy and cringe-inducing lyrics. A famous case rhymes Diana and Camilla with The Thrilla in Manila, and another song, in the censored Netflix version, liberally uses feck (imagine what the uncensored version does) to refer to Diana’s Revenge Dress. It’s all just so absurd; I love it. It also has a major tonal issue. The show could not decide whether or not it wanted to be taken seriously or be seen as campy glitzy fun. It has some definite serious moments, such as when Diana visits AIDS patients (although these patients are nothing more than gay caricatures) or when she laments the breakdown of her marriage to Charles (although this song includes her saying ‘I love you’ in multiple languages and uttering the hilarious line ‘serves me right for marrying a Scorpio’), or the Hamilton-tinted finale number depicting Diana’s real and serious accomplishments (but the song and show end with the absurd lyric “The people who will change the world are not the ones you think will change the world.” But there are also fun moments that are meant to be over-the-top, such as “The Main Event,” which includes that Thrilla in Manila lyric and depicts a protracted catfight between Diana and Camilla and “This is How Your People Dance,” which includes choreography that should be tried for war crimes and reference to a myriad of 80s pop bands. Most of the friends I have shown it to found it so abhorrently bad and did not have as much fun as I did. This griping may make it seem like you shouldn’t watch it; you definitely should. But I will continue to watch it until there is a revival. This is not for you if you are looking for a genuine deconstruction of Diana’s character. But if you are looking for a short camp-filled romp and not take it too seriously, watch it.
my favorite characters:
Roe Hartrampf as Prince Charles: Now King Charles? I'm not a fan of the real guy. But wow, Hartrampf is REALLY good here. I love this man. He sings the best song in the show, “Diana: The Rage.” The sheer intensity he brings to the iconic lyrics of “how ‘bout for a start, don’t act like a tart, Diana," and "stop being a martyr, why can't you be smarter? Diana.” is enough to secure him as my favorite performance. In all honesty, he isn’t given very much to do. He tries his best with the limited range his character is given. He oscillates between angry and furious. And wow, he can sing. He also serves some luscious, if not slightly nasal, vocals on “The World Fell in Love.”
Erin Davie as Camilla Parker Bowles: she DOES SO MUCH with this role. It's underwritten and mostly serves to flesh out Charles. But Davie imbues so much warmth and sincerity into her portrayal that you feel bad for her. I will say that again, YOU PITY CAMILLA. She’s so good in this that you wish she could’ve been in another show entirely because, wow.
Gareth Keegan as James Hewitt: there’s not much I can say for him except that he absolutely dominates his song “Here Comes James Hewitt” (the aforementioned Act 2 opener).
this movie is rated PG-13. here’s why:
Strong Language
Thematic Material
something i liked: Although not my favorite song to listen to, the sequence of “The Words Came Pouring Out” is just too delicious. Every aspect of this sequence is utter camp perfection. From the almost insulting rhyme of bulimia with media and the usage of the phrase ‘borderline sedition’ to describe Diana’s behavior of speaking to a biographer to the very-80s hairdos and outfits worn by the ensemble that only exist in this song. This song includes a show-stealing performance from Nathan Lucrezio as Diana biographer Andrew Morton. His performance includes some very convincing on-tempo typewriter choreography and dramatic Newsies-esque paper raising but also joins the ensemble for some hardcore jump-ography. On a related note, the ensemble of this show ABSOLUTELY KILLS IT. They give their all to every lamely choreographed moment and add stylish vocals to mundane lyrics. Another ensemble-focused number Snap, Click deserves kudos here because even though they are given the silliest lyrics “better than a Guinness, better than a wank, snatch a few pics, its money in the bank,” they are so dedicated to their big trench coats and sharp pelvic motions.
where to watch:
IMDb:
