This new musical all about Princess Diana and her rise to becoming one of the most influential women of the 20th century, was supposed to open on Broadway on March 31, before the coronavirus pandemic put it on pause.
However, luckily for us Diana: A True Musical Story will be available all over the world, for us to watch from the comfort of our own homes, launching on Netflix in 2021. The musical will star Broadway actor Jeanna de Waal as Princess Diana, Roe Hartrampf as Prince Charles, Erin Davie as Camilla Parker Bowles and two-time Tony Award–winning actor Judy Kaye as Queen Elizabeth.
The cast spoke to People all about the preparation involved in taking on such iconic roles. Jeanne de Waal explained how she spent hours devouring YouTube clips of Diana in interviews, and even watched an eight-minute video of Princess Diana in ‘mom-mode’ with Prince William and Prince Harry.
“She’s not speaking, but you can see the way that she’s caring for Harry and William, and how she relates to them. How she watches so intensely… She’s very present in every single moment that she’s involved with,” Jeanne described.
The decision to launch Diana: A True Musical Story on Netflix is following the hugely successful release of Broadway musical, Hamilton, which became available on Disney+ in early July, causing a 74% increase in downloads of the streaming service.
"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 theatre-lovers everywhere," said the show's producers in a joint statement. "Though there is no substitute for the live theatre, we are honoured to be a part of the quality entertainment that Netflix provides its subscribers worldwide."
While Diana: A True Musical Story will be premiering on Netflix in 2021, theatre-lovers will still be able to catch a live performance of the show later next year, as the new Broadway opening date has been moved to May 25. The original cast will be filmed for the Netflix production, on the stage of their Longacre Theatre in New York, in front of an empty audience.
