Diana

A biographical musical from the Broadway writing duo Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, who is also a founding member of Bon Jovi.

The show recounts the tragic life of the late Princess of Wales, Lady Diana. The writing pair are best known for their previous work on Tony Award-winning musical Memphis and have also ventured into off-Broadway productions with their work on The Toxic Avenger. Diana made its world premiere in early 2019 in La Jolla Playhouse’s Mandell Weiss Theatre in La Jolla, California.

Diana: The Musical Critical Response

The show was met with a warm critical response and ultimately cemented its trajectory to the Broadway stage. The main cast of the La Jolla performances all transferred to Broadway with the show. The cast includes the likes of Kinky Boots star Jeanna de Waal in the role of Diana, and Tony Award winning Broadway veteran Judy Kaye as Queen Elizabeth. Prince Charles is played by Roe Hartrampf. The production also boasts an impressive creative team full of multi-Tony Award winners such as scenic designer David Zinn, costume designer William Ivey Long, and lighting designer Natasha Katz.

Post COVID Show Launch and Ticket Sales

Diana: The Musical was the first Broadway show to begin selling tickets for post-COVID performances and they initially set their new opening day as Dec. 16, 2021. This is 625 days after its originally scheduled opening night, which should have been on March 31, 2020 . The show had begun previews at the Longacre on March 2, 2020, but was quickly closed when the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic closed all of the Broadway theatres.

Oprah Interview with Harry and Meghan Drives Royal Interest

Diana's Broadway producers realized they were getting a large amount of interest in their Broadway show following from the royal interview with Harry and Meghan, which aired on CBS Sunday, March 7, 2021. In this interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry and Meghan made various claims against the royal family that included both abject racism and sexism. The British royal family was shaken to its core by these revelations and the claims are so shocking that the British Royal family may not survive in its current form.

Netflix Broadcast Was Scheduled Prior To Show Opening

In a deal inked with Netflix back in late 2020. a prerecorded version of Diana was made available for streaming on Netflix. This became available for viewers on Friday, October 1, 2021. This version of the show was filmed in March 2020 and features the original Broadway cast. It was taped just weeks before the pandemic hit.

The taping was available on Netflix long before Diana on Broadway reopens, in fact over 2 months before the show opens live. This test provides a good indication to Broadway show producers whether or not releasing a show on a streaming service prior to a show opening helps or hurts a live production in a post-pandemic world. This is not a strategy that any Broadway producer would normally consider, because it could be the death of a show even before it opens.

Netflix Streaming Broadcast Considered 'Good Press'

Some industry pundits see the Netflix streaming as an informercial for the show that could garner mass appeal and drive theatre ticket sales. Others expect that it may turn some audiences off from actually going to the theatre to see the show live. Many critics contend that musical theatre has become too hyperbolic to garner mass appeal and the TV ratings for Broadway musicals seem to be heading in an unabated downward spiral.

The Netflix Experiment

The Netflix experiment will deliver valuable audience behavioral data about how many people watched the show, when did they tune out, when did they switch it off and how many people made it to the end of the show. The show can then take that data and change the show format on stage, maximizing its ability to flourish on Broadway.