Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The tone deaf DIANA, THE MUSICAL has the potential to amass a cult following

• By drediman
• November 29, 2021
• No Comments

True to its subject matter, the new musical Diana, the Musical has garnered considerable intrigue. Following a much buzzed about out of town tryout at La Jolla Playhouse, the musical had just begun preview performances in New York when Covid effectively shuttered all in-person performances last March. With the production all ready to go, the musical’s producers – in an attempt to keep the show’s momentum from flagging during the pandemic – filmed the production on the stage of the Longacre Theatre and released the film capture on Netflix in September. Last week, Diana finally opened at the Longacre after what seems a long and winding path to the Great White Way.

Where to start with this one. The work has been clearly designed to unabashedly capitalize on America’s fascination with Britain’s royal family, particularly the saga of the late Princess of Wales. The show was created by the same team behind Memphis, an unlikely Tony-winner for Best Musical back in 2010. Like that previous effort, Diana features a score by David Bryan, book and additional lyrics by Joe DiPietro, as well as direction and choreography by Christopher Ashley. Although there’s no denying the banality of some of Mr. DiPietro’s lyrics, much of Mr. Bryan’s rock-driven music is actually quite appealing – if jarringly at odds with the plot and characters – calling to mind the anthemic bombast of 1980s/90s musicals like Chess. As for Mr. Ashley’s staging, he’s made sure that his production churns at a breathless clip, much in the same vein as Evita, a musical from which Diana draws obvious inspiration. The show is at its best when it acknowledges its inherent campiness (a winking glance timed with the cringe-worthy lyric “Serves me right for marrying a Scorpio” in the song “As I Love You” brings the house down). In fact, I suspect that the musical would work better if it were reconsidered into an all-out satire instead of feigning as populist entertainment.

Despite the show’s severe tone problems, the cast is impressively game to deliver the goods, particularly the women in the company. In the title role, Jeanna de Waal – who is hardly offstage throughout – gives a sturdily irrepressible performance that centers the show without so much as a flinch, all the while looking fabulous in the show’s multitude of costume changes. As Queen Elizabeth II, the great Judy Kaye attempts to shape a character out of an under-written part, and largely succeeds. And as Camilla, Erin Davie is a lovely presence, bringing wry sophistication to a show that all but eschews such qualities. In final assessment, Diana is so bizarrely off-kilter that I found myself frequently chuckling in amusement. And I was far from alone – Diana has the potential to amass a cult following, but for reasons unintended.

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DIANA, THE MUSICAL
Broadway, Musical
Longacre Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run