Diana: The Musical
NetflixIt does not matter what writer Joe DiPetrio may say about Diana: The Musical, it is cheap and lazy. Tacky, too. Although that adjective was lacking from his press statement defending the latest Netflix release. A theatre production detailing the life and death of Princess Diana is an odd choice. Considering how closely and dearly Diana is held in the hearts of the royal-loving members of the public, anything that would even come close to adapting the life of the Princess of Wales is going to feel like long-form blasphemy. Theatre kids, as ever, do not deserve happiness, they deserve only the lowest forms of entertainment. Diana: The Musical fills that gap tremendously well.
Jeanna De Waal is a superb talent, it’s just a shame she is involved with this odd little feature that wishes to praise the work of the Princess of Wales. Was Diana underestimated? Christopher Ashley certainly cannot answer that with this production. It is hard to assume this or explain that when Diana: The Musical has absolutely no interest in facts or history. A musical has no time for that. Instead, the offering of bland pop songs and uneventful flutters with frankly terrible dialogue try and paint a picture of who Diana was. Getting to grips with that wouldn’t be of much interest anyway. Diana: The Musical portrays Diana as if she were just one of the working class. She brushes off the fame and intensity of royalty, claiming pride for her role as a kindergarten teacher.
But audiences must remember that this is not Diana. Diana: The Musical is crafty and almost sinister in its intentions. It creates a buzz around the eponymous lead in a similar manner to tabloid newspapers. Talking about the feature eventually, subconsciously, leads to a discussion of the person. Why include detail when the audience can fill in the blanks? That fills out the lazy portion DiPetrio so valiantly fought against. As for cheap, well, it is that too. Bland costumes and uneventful stage designs see a theatrical adaptation for Netflix to use as a catapult into the search numbers when Spencer releases. A two-hour marketing movie is not the best use of time.
Everyone within Diana: The Musical will likely know that. To be blind to that obvious quandary of ethical dilemmas is to have your eyelids glued tightly shut. “Nineteen and naïve, shy and insecure, thinking princes never lie,” Waal warbles. As if the age gap between the relationship between Spencer and Prince Charles were something to sing about. Diana: The Musical may have a strong singer at the core, but portraying the fraught relationship, press coverage, and royal disaster as a “fairytale” is not just negligent, but in bad taste. Diana: The Musical, is just that, in bad taste for the few that will view it. A feature that feels more like an unaware meme than a feature fit for consumption. Enjoyed only by theatre kids and those who would somberly honk their car horn if they saw a “Remember our Di, Princess of Wales, Queen of Our Hearts” bumper sticker. The crossover between said groups is slim, and interest in this musical wanes even slimmer.