In previews when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered Broadway through at least early 2021, Diana: A New Musical will stream on Netflix prior to its official opening, producers confirmed this week. Plans are to record a performance at New York’s Longacre Theater with no audience in September.
“We speak for the entire company when we say that we couldn’t be more excited to finally be able to share our show with theater lovers everywhere,” lead producers Beth Williams, Frank Marshall and the Araca Group said in a statement.
“Now comes the hard part — taking a safety plan from the page and putting it into practice. The work to provide the safest workplace possible in this environment will require everyone to work together, from the employer to every employee,” she said.
Diana dramatizes the life of the late Princess Diana, who died in an automobile accident in the late 1990s. A press lightning rod after her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981, Diana was an iconic figure even after her marriage broke up due to his infidelity. Elton John immortalized her with an updated version of his hit “Candle in the Wind” that was originally written with Marilyn Monroe as its muse.
The show was scheduled to open at the Longacre on March 31, which has been moved back to May 25, 2021, assuming performances are allowed to go on in New York by that point. Producers have been negotiating with the Actor’s Equity Association to develop a plan for filming safely for performers and crew.
The original Broadway cast includes Jeanna de Waal as Diana, Roe Hartrampf as Prince Charles, Erin Davie as Camilla Parker Bowles and Judy Kaye as Queen Elizabeth II
