Still fascinating to millions nearly twenty years after her death in a fiery car accident in 1997, the story if Diana, Princess of Wales, may be headed for Broadway.
Michael Reidel of the New York Post is reporting that “Diana” is holding a reading for Broadway producers in late July and will have a three week workshop this fall at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. The play, which focuses on the royal wedding between Diana and Prince Charles, is directed by Christopher Ashley and music by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro.
“We finished the show at the end of last year,” DiPietro told the Post. “With some shows, the doors open very quickly. They are opening very quickly with this one. People are fascinated by Diana and her legacy.”
The story of Diana, who turned her popularity into power in Britain and remained a celebrity following her and Charles’ divorce, made perfect sense to turn into a musical, according to DiPietro.
“She was a blue blood, she was beautiful and she was a virgin, which was hard to find in 1980s London,” he said. “She was manipulated, used and misunderstood, but she rose to the occasion and then used her popularity to gain power. The royals never thought this uneducated woman could accomplish what she did. I thought she’d make a wonderful lead character in a musical.”
Read more at the New York Post.
