Diana Previews Thread- Page 5

[Scott Stephen]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 8:08pm

AMDA student here who received a ticket through the school and was thrilled to be at a first Broadway preview. This show has a lot of work to do but it is not a bad show by any means. Despite everything, the ensemble is really carrying weight here and doing a fantastic job, Jeanna de Waal and Judy Kaye are delivering outstanding performances, and the costume, scenic, and lighting design are all spectacular. While not all of the songs landed well, I loved the “Simply Breathe” number and thought its motif was simple and powerful. Additionally, the finale was haunting and I am still thinking about it today. The music, staging, lighting and overall execution of that number was electrifying. Like I said, not the best show but definitely not the train wreck I was expecting. If you go in with an open mind you’re bound to find something you enjoy.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 8:41pm

But what is the ending?

While watching this I was wondering how they would end it. Much like Titanic, we all know where it’s heading.

I mean aren’t they touring her dresses around? They should just partner with that and tour the show.

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 9:22pm

"Shame on me for marrying a Scorpio” got acknowledgement applause and Jeanna gave a knowing look out to the audience."

Same thing tonight! It's a packed house and the crowd is really loving the show. I think Netflix piqued everyone's interest and this shows following should grow in the next few months.

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 10:43pm

I was there tonight as well, add me to the list of people who absolutely understand that this show has it’s problems. But that was a WILD ride, and I had a fun time watching it.
For people asking about the ending… well it just kind of ends. She walks out of the Palace, and then ensemble becomes news reporters, and basically fade to black with a little signing.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 10:45pm

So have they scraped that song all together! The people who change the world song?

Feel like it should end with flashing cameras.

[northlandfan]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 10:48pm

Updated On: 11/3/21 at 10:48 PM

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 10:50pm

It certainly didn’t feel like a full song. Diana walks off and then the ensemble sang like 32 more bars of music, but it clearly didn’t leave much of an impression.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 11:05pm

They cut “If” all together? The song wasn’t the issue for me it was everything after it.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 11:09pm

CATSNYrevival said: "They cut “If” all together? The song wasn’t the issue for me it was everything after it."

They didn’t cut “If”… the last lines after Diana’s death have been changed. Ted didn’t go into too much detail with me.

[northlandfan]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 11:12pm

A few questions I have about the show…..
Why does the phrase about being a Scorpio get such a reaction?
Does anybody know how she gets into that wedding dress so quickly. I wonder if there’s a trap door on the floor like they had in wicked where Elphaba descends while melting..
We all know Diana wears many wigs but does Roe as Prince Charles as well?
Does anybody know why she starts singing in Spanish and French at one point all of a sudden?
Just watched the curtain call where she thanks everybody except for her own cast members?!. I found that a bit strange?
Wondering if they will be having an opening night party this year…..

[teatime2]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 11:20pm

northlandfan said: "A few questions I have about the show…..
Why does the phrase about being a Scorpio get such a reaction?
Does anybody know how she gets into that wedding dress so quickly. I wonder if there’s a trap door on the floor like they had in wicked where Elphaba descends while melting..
We all know Diana wears many wigs but does Roe as Prince Charles as well?
Does anybody know why she starts singing in Spanish and French at one point all of a sudden?
Just watched the curtain call where she thanks everybody except for her own cast members?!. I found that a bit strange?
Wondering if they will be having an opening night party this year…..

"

rush tickets are front row,  so I got a good view of the wedding dress. The dress and veil are structured with wire so it stands on its own. You can see the body double go down the lift right before she steps in. The show was good campy fun. The score is FIRE. The opening now has a few bars of the paparazzi singing something before Diana comes on. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/4/21 at 12:03am

Jordan Levinson said: "de Waal even shook hands with some people - her fearlessness here amidst an ongoing pandemic reminded me of the real Princess Di shaking hands with patients in AIDS wards."

OMG I practically choked at the ridiculousness of this sentence. You seem completely out of touch with reality, Jordan. Or does the press rep have employees stumping on behalf of the show on the message boards now??

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 11/4/21 at 3:11am

maybe I’m old, I’m 40, what does fire mean?


 

teatime2 said: "northlandfan said: "A few questions I have about the show…..
Why does the phrase about being a Scorpio get such a reaction?
Does anybody know how she gets into that wedding dress so quickly. I wonder if there’s a trap door on the floor like they had in wicked where Elphaba descends while melting..
We all know Diana wears many wigs but does Roe as Prince Charles as well?
Does anybody know why she starts singing in Spanish and French at one point all of a sudden?
Just watched the curtain call where she thanks everybody except for her own cast members?!. I found that a bit strange?
Wondering if they will be having an opening night party this year…..

"

rush tickets are front row, so I got a good view of the wedding dress. The dress and veil are structured with wire so it stands on its own. You can see the body double go down the lift right before she steps in. The show was good campy fun. The score is FIRE. The opening now has a few bars of the paparazzi singing something before Diana comes on."

 

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 11/4/21 at 7:37am

Caught this and am actively sad about how bad it is. Diana's life story is the very essence of human interest—the tug and pull between her and Charles/Camilla, the constant tension between her and the paparazzi, the immediate connection she had with the British and Welch people, her beauty and glamour and desire to be modern, and the tragedy you know is coming at the end of it all... it has SO MUCH dramatic promise and theatrical potential.

And... this is what we get?! I'm glad everybody is talking about the lyrics, because they are among the worst I think have ever been written for the stage (“Darling, I'm holding our son / So let me say, jolly well done" - cringe). But even the music they're set to is just awful. The mentality of the composer seemed to just be "HERE IS MORE MUSIC" as opposed to sitting down and writing a moderately intelligent score. No character motifs, no musical phrases, nothing. Just words and notes.

Scenic design is bland and cheap-looking. Choreography is BEYOND overdone. The book uses the lowest-hanging fruit as comedy, trying to get cheap laughs by having people with British accents say "f***" and "s***" repeatedly.

Jeanna does a fine job in her role but the material she's responsible for delivering is just so bad.

Diana is an icon and a legend and deserved a brilliant smash of a Broadway musical to honor her legacy. Instead, she's gotten a cheap production with a historically bad score. She deserved better than this.

Diana, girl, I'm so sorry.

[Megsamegatron]

Posted: 11/4/21 at 9:30am

teatime2 said: "northlandfan said: "A few questions I have about the show…..
Why does the phrase about being a Scorpio get such a reaction?
Does anybody know how she gets into that wedding dress so quickly. I wonder if there’s a trap door on the floor like they had in wicked where Elphaba descends while melting..
We all know Diana wears many wigs but does Roe as Prince Charles as well?
Does anybody know why she starts singing in Spanish and French at one point all of a sudden?
Just watched the curtain call where she thanks everybody except for her own cast members?!. I found that a bit strange?
Wondering if they will be having an opening night party this year…..

"

rush tickets are front row, so I got a good view of the wedding dress. The dress and veil are structured with wire so it stands on its own. You can see the body double go down the lift right before she steps in. The show was good campy fun. The score is FIRE. The opening now has a few bars of the paparazzi singing something before Diana comes on."

So there is a rush policy?

Updated On: 11/4/21 at 09:30 AM

[unclevictor]

Posted: 11/4/21 at 9:35am

This show will close in 3…2…1….

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/4/21 at 10:22am

Cast of ‘Diana: The Musical’ performs ‘If’ on ‘GMA’ | GMA (goodmorningamerica.com)

[52889j]

Posted: 11/4/21 at 11:53am

northlandfan said: "A few questions I have about the show…..
Why does the phrase about being a Scorpio get such a reaction?

"

It's a horrifically bad lyric that has been roasted up and down Tik Tok since the pro shot showed up on Netflix. 

[ArtMan]

Posted: 11/4/21 at 11:27pm

I was at the first preview also.  I was entertained.  Would I see it again, NO.  Some things I want to address.  Jeanna DID thank her cast during her curtain call speech.  She even started with thanking the understudies and the standbys.  The screaming and the woos went on for at least the first 15 minutes.  At times you couldn't catch the dialogue because of the screaming.  It was really annoying.  It finally curtailed as Act 1 progressed.  It was sold out and obviously papered.  The annoying girl in front of me, who I overheard saying her ticket was free, was filming the show.  Finally the usher caught her and stopped for remainder.  I also went to the GMA performance since it was very close to my hotel and could see it before leaving for my flight.  It WAS

interesting to watch the cast interaction.  Jeanna was very nice and posed for some pictures.

[soulmistin]

Posted: 11/5/21 at 12:06am

ElephantLoveMedley said: "Caught this and am actively sad about how bad it is. Diana's life story is the very essence of human interest—the tug and pull between her and Charles/Camilla, the constant tension between her and the paparazzi, the immediate connection she had with the British and Welch people, her beauty and glamour and desire to be modern, and the tragedy you know is coming at the end of it all... it has SO MUCH dramatic promise and theatrical potential.

And... this is what we get?! I'm glad everybody is talking about the lyrics, because they are among the worst I think have ever been written for the stage (“Darling, I'm holding our son / So let me say, jolly well done" - cringe). But even the music they're set to is just awful. The mentality of the composer seemed to just be "HERE IS MORE MUSIC" as opposed to sitting down and writing a moderately intelligent score. No character motifs, no musical phrases, nothing. Just words and notes.

Scenic design is bland and cheap-looking. Choreography is BEYOND overdone. The book uses the lowest-hanging fruit as comedy, trying to get cheap laughs by having people with British accents say "f***" and "s***" repeatedly.

Jeanna does a fine job in her role but the material she's responsible for delivering is just so bad.

Diana is an icon and a legend and deserved a brilliant smash of a Broadway musical to honor her legacy. Instead, she's gotten a cheap production with a historically bad score. She deserved better than this.

Diana, girl, I'm so sorry."

Hit the nail right on the head

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 11/5/21 at 5:43am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Jordan Levinson said: "de Waal even shook hands with some people - her fearlessness here amidst an ongoing pandemic reminded me of the real Princess Di shaking hands with patients in AIDS wards."

OMG I practically choked at the ridiculousness of this sentence. You seem completely out of touch with reality, Jordan. Or does the press rep have employees stumping on behalf of the show on the message boards now??"

Just ignore Jordan. He's still hiding at home, holding out for the virus to be triumphantly eradicated. It's really sad.

Updated On: 11/5/21 at 05:43 AM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/5/21 at 6:07am

BroadwayRox3588 said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Jordan Levinson said: "de Waal even shook hands with some people - her fearlessness here amidst an ongoing pandemic reminded me of the real Princess Di shaking hands with patients in AIDS wards."

OMG I practically choked at the ridiculousness of this sentence. You seem completely out of touch with reality, Jordan. Or does the press rep have employees stumping on behalf of the show on the message boards now??"

Just ignore Jordan. He's still hiding at home, holding out for the virus to be triumphantly eradicated. It's really sad."

There is no eradication. I'm learning to live with this, and have already made my return to the NY theatre scene. There were points throughout the pandemic where I never thought I would be back in large auditoriums, and only my room would be my safe haven. That has long since changed.

Turns out I need to make up for lost time after all.

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 11/5/21 at 6:15am

Jordan Levinson said: "There is no eradication. I'm learning to live with this, and have already made my return to the NY theatre scene. There were points throughout the pandemic where I never thought I would be back in large auditoriums, and only my room would be my safe haven. That has long since changed.

Turns out I need to make up for lost time after all."

Well, in that case, I would like to sincerely apologize for my snark. I'm genuinely proud of you, Jordan. Thankful that you're back to supporting live theatre, and proud of you for making the choice to live your life again. I'm sure that wasn't easy for you, and that is something to be very proud of.

And I truly mean this. I know people (myself included) can be snarky on these boards, but there's no snark in this post. You took a really big personal step, and should be commended for that.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/5/21 at 9:58am

In the filmed iteration, the one satisfying performance is Erin Davie's Camilla. She creates a three dimensional character out of very little, and makes a persuasive case for the real woman's plight. And justifies her stage time. Davie is superb (is she as effective in person? Likely.)

Had the show been more ambitious in its search for a new prism on the most over-exposed celebrity in the last 40 years, it might've made the show a daring comparison between the two women, a bit of Wicked meets the Turning Point and War Paint. It would've given the piece something is sorely needs: a fresh theatrical idea. Watching an ensemble racing around in changeable paparazzi drag as Diana's oppressors is an idea so tired it makes us wince. Evita got there in the late 70s thanks to Prince, and even then, it felt vaguely familiar. We then endured the same in Marilyn: A Musical Fable (Google it, youngsters.) Making media a star maker slash villain teaches an audience zero that it doesn't arrive knowing. It's a kind of virtue signaling -- the press killed this person! -- that even if true requires an untried point of access. .

If it had a score with a single hit -- say, Don't Cry for Me, Sandringham -- we might forgive all. The wash of power ballads and shouty choral numbers wears us out. It's just too bland by half.   

Updated On: 11/5/21 at 09:58 AM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/5/21 at 11:47pm

I saw the show tonight, after having watched it on Netflix several times, and I enjoyed myself immensely. For me, the show has transcended its multitude of flaws, and I simply accept it for what it is, warts and all. It has quickly become one of my guiltiest pleasures.

The only lyric changes that jumped out at me were in “Happinesss,” just because they were 2 lines that were often derided on social media. Charles no longer says, “So let me say ‘jolly well done’” as a compliment to Diana for having a son. Instead he says something like, “And suddenly our life has begun.” Then, Diana no longer says, “Harry, my ginger-haired son.” I can’t remember what she says now, but it’s no longer laughable.

The change to the ending is this: the staging is pretty much the same, but Charles, Camilla, and the Queen no longer join the ensemble, who then sing a reprise of “If,” and walk to the front of the stage just as in the recording. It’s not a huge improvement, but it works much better, and it’s no longer a head-scratcher.

On the technical front, the platform didn’t rise at the end of “Pretty, Pretty Girl,” so we didn’t get to see the last two dresses and the final quick change. Jeanna sang the lines, but the ensemble was just looking at the hole in the floor. I was a little bummed, but I felt worse for the people who hadn’t seen the show on Netflix, and didn’t know what was going on.

 

Updated On: 11/6/21 at 11:47 PM