The wedding was a fairy tale. The marriage was a nightmare. The musical could be a smash.
“Diana” is percolating this summer at New York Stage and Film at Vassar College. A reading the week of July 23 is expected to draw Broadway producers eager to capitalize on the enduring fascination with Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales. A three-week workshop is being planned for the fall at the La Jolla Playhouse.
Directed by Christopher Ashley, who just won a Tony for “Come From Away,” the new musical is the third collaboration for Bon Jovi keyboardist/composer David Bryan and book writer/lyricist Joe DiPietro. Their second, “Memphis,” won the Tony in 2010.
“We finished the show at the end of last year,” DiPietro says. “With some shows, the doors open very quickly. They are opening very quickly with this one. People are fascinated by Diana and her legacy.”
DiPietro got the idea for the show while reading Tina Brown’s “The Diana Chronicles.”
“I knew a little bit about her — the basic stuff. Wedding, bad marriage, divorce and death,” he says. What he says he learned from his research was that the House of Windsor orchestrated her marriage to Prince Charles — and that the queen, Charles and even his lover (now wife) Camilla Parker Bowles all had a hand in picking Diana.
“She was a blue blood, she was beautiful and she was a virgin, which was hard to find in 1980s London,” DiPietro says. “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.”
He says he checked around to see if there was another Diana musical in the works. Nothing for Broadway, his New York theater friends told him. Then he checked with some producers in London, who told him there were a few, but they haven’t gotten much traction.
‘She was manipulated, used and misunderstood, but she rose to the occasion and then used her popularity to gain power.’
“Diana” will focus on the royal marriage. Along with the princess, the main characters are Charles, the queen and Camilla — terrific roles for character actors. Casting is just starting, and Ashley hopes to find a fresh face to play the title role.
Bryan’s eclectic score ranges from ’80s pop for Diana, to punk rock (think the Clash) for the paparazzi, classical for Charles and traditional musical theater for Camilla and the queen.
“Most people don’t know this, but David studied at Juilliard so he’s got a lot of musical knowledge to draw on,” says DiPietro. “And I think we have a unique take on the story. I mean, we’re two guys from New Jersey. What the f–k do we know about the royals?”
At the end of the first act, Diana sings a song called “A Pretty Girl in a Pretty Dress.” It captures the moment she realizes she can turn the tables on the palace.
“She used her style and her smile and her beauty,” DiPietro says. “Charles was out giving lectures about how new buildings are ruining the world, and she’s being photographed in a cocktail dress. He was born an old man. She became the world’s most beloved princess.”
Should the show come to Broadway in a year or so, expect lavish sets and costumes. “This is a woman who used style and fashion to gain power,” DiPietro says. “We won’t skimp!”