'Diana, The Musical': Not a total Di-saster

‘DIANA, THE MUSICAL’: Roe Hartrampf & Jeanna de Waal. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

DIANA, THE MUSICAL
Book & lyrics by Joe DiPietro
Music & lyrics by David Bryan
Choreography by Kelly Devine
Music arrangement & supervision by Ian Eisendrath
Directed by Christopher Ashley
Longacre Theatre
220 West 48th Street
(866) 302-0995, https://thedianamusical.com/

By Scott Harrah

By now, many of you have read the vicious reviews this show received from the critics. It’s as if everyone released all the pent-up venom they had stored for other shows this season (but couldn’t or wouldn’t say a bad word about) and pounced on Diana, The Musical because it was an easy target. Despite all the naysayers, Diana is not as horrific as you may have heard and the musical has at least one element that may make some actually want to see it.

As a “Second Night” critic, this reviewer doesn’t often get the chance to say anything about a Broadway show until the “major” critics who see a production in previews have already given their verdict. This is one of the few times I must admit some went too far in panning a show. Is it a great musical? Of course not. Is it the worst thing you’ll ever see on Broadway? No. Let’s start by talking about someone nearly all the critics overlooked: Jeanna de Waal as Princess Diana. A leading lady is supposed to anchor a show, and that’s exactly what Ms. de Wall does here so well. She is the only one in the show who truly transcends the material she’s been given and does what any good actor must: She gives shading and multiple dimensions to Diana, a complicated, deeply troubled woman mired in gossip, myths and misunderstandings. We see the arc of Diana’s life, starting out as “shy Di,” as the Fleet Street Brits once called her, a 19-year-old Protestant virgin born into nobility, with the title Lady Diana who worked as a kindergarten assistant. Young Lady Diana Spencer was considered the perfect prospective wife for Prince Charles (Roe Hartrampf), who was already in his 30s at the time and the most eligible bachelor in the world. As the show progresses, Ms. de Waal displays the transformation from sheepish Lady Di to the adult Princess Di, her frustration as a young wife and mother as Charles carries on an extramarital affair with “the Rottweiler” Camilla Parker Bowles (Erin Davie). Finally, she evolves (with many changes featuring William Ivey Long’s lavish costumes) as Diana, the “People’s Princess” who emerged from scandal and a very public bad marriage to win everyone’s hearts as a humanitarian. Ms. de Waal’s portrayal of Diana the media sensation is always realistic and sincere, no matter how preposterous the material gets. Diana’s every move was tabloid fodder and front-page news, from charity work ranging from visiting and actually touching gay men in hospital AIDS wards at the apex of the crisis (something few would do back then) to raising awareness about the dangers of landmines in Africa. She was a princess with a purpose indeed and redefined what royalty should do with their fame and influence.

Remember the dreadful Broadway musical Scandalous back in 2012, written by Kathy Lee Gifford? Scandalous was a true train wreck—and even worse than Diana because it was pointless, amateurish and dull—but it also had a leading lady that rose above the material: Carolee Carmello, portraying evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. Ms. Carmello got a Tony nomination for being brave enough to go onstage each night to give a great performance in a horrible musical. Diana, The Musical may not last long but Jeanna de Waal should be remembered during next spring’s award season because, like Carolee Carmello, she prevailed.

Now, let’s address the obvious shortcomings of the show. The story of Princess Diana is a true tragedy, and it might have been done better as an opera or even a pop opera like Evita, but it simply does not work as a musical comedy. Joe DiPietro’s book is a hot mess of hokey, cringeworthy dialogue and head-scratching narrative choices. Mr. DiPietro tells the story of Diana with all the basic factual elements of her life, but both his and David’s Bryan’s music and lyrics are beyond absurd. There’s no need to quote any of the mind-numbingly bad lyrics (every critic has already done that), but one wonders why Mr. DiPietro and Mr. Bryan chose to use so much profanity, automatically giving what should have been a “PG-13” family musical an “R” rating (if Broadway shows were actually rated). The same four-letter words are used repeatedly to rhyme in a couple songs, as if they are dirty limericks being sung by preteen boys. Another song, “The Dress,” overuses the “F” bomb in one of the show’s many lame attempts at humor.

Besides Ms. de Waal, one other noteworthy performance is by Erin Davie, who is wonderfully catty as Camilla Parker Bowles (and much prettier than the real Duchess of Cornwall). The Diana and Camilla verbal catfight in the production number “The Main Event” is sublimely ridiculous. As for the rest of the cast, the real Prince Charles has more charm than Roe Hartrampf, but Mr. Hartfampf is far better looking than the real-life Prince of Wales ever was. Most of the performances seem like caricatures of the royals, especially Judy Kaye, doing a dual role of Queen Elizabeth II and pulp romance novelist Barbara Cartland (please, don’t ask). Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley (Come from Away) directs everyone haphazardly, but even more puzzling is two-time Tony Award nominee Kelly Devine’s ludicrous choreography. The dance routines are so spastic and over the top that they are both distracting and laughable—especially when set to such a dreadful score and silly songs. Regardless, Diana, The Musical is never boring and no worse than the 2017 musical Anastasia. The show was filmed for posterity for Netflix during the height of the 2020 pandemic, so even when it closes on Broadway, it already has the potential to be a campy cult classic that fans can enjoy via streaming.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 21, 2021
Reviewed at November 19, 2021 press performance.