Name: Diana: The Musical
Genre: History, Romance, Drama
Released: 2021-10-01T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: Jeanna De Waal, Roe Hartrampf, Erin Davie, Judy Kaye, Zach Adkins

The opening number of Diana: The Musical sets the tone for its entire misguided enterprise: Jeanna De Waal as Diana, Princess of Wales, belts out “Underestimated” while prancing through Buckingham Palace like a Disney princess in a bad acid trip. This is not a film that understands subtlety or nuance.

Directed by Christopher Ashley, this filmed version of the Broadway show attempts to chronicle the life of one of the 20th century’s most iconic figures. The cast includes De Waal as Diana, Roe Hartrampf as Prince Charles, and Erin Davie as Camilla Parker Bowles. The musical, with a book by Joe DiPietro and music and lyrics by David Bryan, aims to capture the dazzling and devastating life of Princess Diana through song and dance.

What works, in the most accidental way possible, is the sheer camp value of it all. Lines like “Snap, Click” — a number about the tabloid media hounding Diana — are so cringeworthy they become darkly funny. The energy of the performances, particularly De Waal’s, keeps the film from being a total snooze fest. There are moments of genuine charm, such as Diana’s punk-rock imagination during a classical concert (“This Is How Your People Dance”), which offers a glimpse of the rebellious spirit that defined her.

However, the film falters in its attempt to balance history and entertainment. The script is lazy, often resorting to simplistic explanations for complex emotional states. The Queen Elizabeth character, played by Judy Kaye, is reduced to a caricature, spouting lines like “The Worst Job In England” with all the gravitas of a community theater production. The film’s attempt to tackle serious themes — mental health, marital infidelity, the pressures of fame — is undermined by its reliance on broad comedy and anachronistic pop culture references.

The musical numbers, while catchy at times, often feel out of place. “Simply Breathe,” a song about Diana’s depression, is underscored by a synth-heavy beat that feels more suited to an ’80s power ballad than a poignant moment in the life of a real woman who struggled with mental health issues. The film’s attempt to make Diana’s story accessible through music and dance ultimately falls flat, as it reduces her complex life to a series of clichés and simplistic moral lessons.

In the end, Diana: The Musical is a film that tries too hard and achieves too little. It’s neither a insightful biography nor an entertaining spectacle.

Tags: History, Christopher Ashley, Diana: The Musical, Erin Davie, Jeanna De Waal, Roe Hartrampf