The Mycenaean

On October 1, Diana: The Musical dropped on Netflix for prerelease before the show goes on Broadway in November. 

Overview

This musical follows the story of one of the most well-known people in UK history — Diana, Princess of Wales.

It begins with a quick summary of Prince Charles’ courtship with the then Lady Diana, who although technically a commoner, was raised from birth to be a noble.

Once married, the musical speeds through the pregnancy and birth of Prince William and Prince Harry with a song. 

After that, Diana: The Musical slows down and spends a fair amount of time with the ongoing affair between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. Singing about how Diana felt betrayed and heartbroken by it, how she had her own fling with James Hewitt, and how eventually everything just blew up in their faces. 

After over an hour of songs regarding the matter, the musical shifts into the last part of Princess Diana’s story.

The final minutes are for the quick dissolution of their marriage and Princess Diana’s unfortunate demise. 

Review

Diana: The Musical, is it good? Is it bad? More like somewhere in between. 

When a book, TV show, movie, or musical pulls from real-world events, it adds another layer to consider when watching — accuracy. Do they portray it correctly? Were they trying to? How many differences are too many?

With this musical, the producers were trying to show Princess Diana’s real story, with a few artistic embellishments. 

All in all, it was not a complete failure on this front. 

The wardrobe and hairstyles were accurate depictions of the styles in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Some dresses were even direct copies of actual outfits that Princess Diana wore, like the revenge dress she had on when Prince Charles was interviewing. 

The actual story is a little less accurate. Some details did not actually happen or are just speculation. 

It is unlikely that Camilla selected gifts for the then Lady Diana during her and Prince Charles’s courtship. 

And Princess Diana did not need convincing to go to an art gallery the night of her husband’s interview. She was already planning to go to that event before hearing about the interview.

These are small things, and it is expected for the writers to take some artistic liberties with the story. 

The actual musical part of this musical left much to be desired. These songs were subpar. From the uselessness of “This Is How Your People Dance” to the blandness of “Him And Her (And Him And Her) / Just Dance,” none of them truly helps the story. If anything, they brought Diana: The Musical down even more. 

Though there are few hidden gems in there (“Light The World” is good) but overall a C rating for music. 

The choreography was not bad. They moved seamlessly, and all the actors’ dance movements made sense in the context of the musical. But is it enough to save the musical? No, it is not.

In short, Diana: The Musical had so much potential but fell way short. It is not terrible, but it is not good either.