I think they should have stole the Evita layout. They needed a narrator. Maybe a "commoner" or a press person. Diana needed someone else. I think they tried to make Camilla that, but it didn't work because Camilla doesn't get much backstory or even a storyline. There are pretty melodies and stuff, but the lyrics are just awful. The Manilla line is particularly awful. So is the line that ends the show. Did no one involved think, huh? This doesn't work? I mean it's been developed for years.
Featured Actor Joined: 9/13/08
I wonder if Joe DiPietro actually said any of these lyrics out loud as he was writing them. It's one thing to write them on a page, and another thing entirely to have to try and make it work from a performance perspective. I would imagine he would have felt the cringe himself if he had to try and "act" through them.
Regardless, I'm sure they were trying to do a good job. It's just that intention and execution can end up being completely different. Also...a little blame must rest on the whole creative team for not calling out the lyrics or holding the writers accountable. Saying nothing led to what the piece is, unfortunately.
And that piece will live forever on Netflix.
The lyric I find the most out of touch, is when she sings about having two baby girls as the answer to her prayers. Only a man would write that and that’s coming from me, a man. No one thought to change that? Did Diana actually say that?
Understudy Joined: 3/1/21
CATSNYrevival said: "The lyric I find the most out of touch, is when she sings about having two baby girls as the answer to her prayers. Only a man would write that and that’s coming from me, a man. No one thought to change that? Did Diana actually say that?"
fact vs fiction
Broadway Star Joined: 6/5/03
It has come to this....
https://slate.com/culture/2021/10/diana-musical-netflix-broadway-hate-watch.html
Tickets are not selling for this... do we think they might scrap the Broadway opening after this?
phantom39 said: "Tickets are not selling for this... do we think they might scrap the Broadway opening after this?"
No. There is too much svog money on the table. In the laudable rush to get money to the live performance sector, they failed to figure out how to establish parameters that avoid flawed incentives.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/23/17
HogansHero said: No. There is too much svogmoney on the table. In the laudable rush to get money to the live performance sector, they failed to figure out how to establish parameters that avoid flawedincentives."
Rush? The program was approved in December 2020 and SVOG loans didn't start to trickle out until late June -- with most recipients not obtaining their approvals until July or August.
I finally watched this tonight. I went in with low expectations, but it was far worse than I was prepared for. The material is just so bad that no performance or production choice could have saved it for me. Not that I particularly liked any of the performances or production choices in the first place.
I tried to enjoy myself by viewing it with a “so bad it’s good” lens, but then I just felt icky. If this wasn’t based on a real tragic story of a person with many living relatives, I’d be able to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Instead it just seemed in very poor taste.
At least the Crown handled her story with some nuance and care and, you know, decent writing. Spencer looks like it attempted to do the same, we’ll see. But this was just the worst musical theatre has to offer. Crass and banal and tacky. And it’s a shame because a musical of this story could have actually been quite thought provoking and moving in more capable hands.
Broadway Star Joined: 6/5/03
Because Netflix is seen around the world, it seems possible that when foreign tourists return in November, they might buy tickets for this.
Not if they paid attention.
I finished watching this earlier. It wasn't good, but it also wasn't as bad as I was expecting, given the reviews. I enjoyed the set design and the costumes were stunning. The performances were adequate, everyone did about as well as they could given the material's shortcomings.
As most everyone has already mentioned, the music was ho-hum, but the book and the lyrics are truly awful and there's no getting around it. The show comes off a clinical spark notes version of Diana's life - you're expected to already be invested in these characters and so the musical gives you not one reason to care about anything or anyone happening on stage. Everything wrong with the lyrics has already been said, but the book whizzes from life event to life event without ever giving us a moment to pause, absorb, or reflect on what's just happened. At this point I think the only thing that would help would be a full rewrite.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/18/07
The show needs a producer like David Merrick to close the show NOW!
Why? Not everyone here hated or even disliked it. I'm sure there are others that have and will like it. Will the critics ravage it? Probably. Will it win any awards? Doubtful. But the ONLY reason to shut it down is if they can't sell enough tickets to pay their bills. Other than that (which will now be tough to know w/o the grosses being published).
Understudy Joined: 3/1/21
It wouldn't be the first show hated by the media, but becomjng more and more popular by the audience.
And THIS what counts at the end.
Showhopper2 said: "It wouldn't be the first show hated by the media, but becomjng more and more popular by the audience.
And THIS what counts at the end. "
...except it's being savagely mocked by audiences all over social media, as well (its IMDB rating sits at a crummy 4.6/10). And, unlike most Broadway shows, this production is available to a worldwide audience, all at the same time. It has effectively nuked its own word of mouth.
dramamama611 said: "But the ONLY reason to shut it down is if they can't sell enough tickets to pay their bills."
Everyone needs to remember that the old calculus is not in play at the moment. Not being able to sell enough tickets to pay their bills (something I think to be highly likely) is not the determinant. Instead it is how much SVOG money they have in the bank. Much of the production cost had already been expended when the shutdown happened and the SVOG money is use it or lose it. So we have shows that there is no economic sense in producing because, while investors will not benefit, the producers sure as hell will, as of course will the company members. When those funds are gone (and that's not going to take long) the show will be gone too.
Understudy Joined: 3/1/21
Kad said: "Showhopper2 said: "It wouldn't be the first show hated by the media, but becomjng more and more popular by the audience.
And THIS what counts at the end. "
...except it's being savagely mocked by audiences all over social media, as well (its IMDB rating sits at a crummy 4.6/10). And, unlike most Broadway shows, this production is available to a worldwide audience, all at the same time. It has effectively nuked its own word of mouth.
Reading on social media, it's definitely not mocked by all of them. Some hate it, some love it, and some think that it's bad but hilarious and enjoyable at the same time.
I also read that some people wouldn't be surprised if it's becoming the next cult- musical, bec it's big following all these "rules".
We will see in the upcoming weeks...
Understudy Joined: 3/1/21
Kad said: "Showhopper2 said: "It wouldn't be the first show hated by the media, but becomjng more and more popular by the audience.
And THIS what counts at the end. "
...except it's being savagely mocked by audiences all over social media, as well (its IMDB rating sits at a crummy 4.6/10). And, unlike most Broadway shows, this production is available to a worldwide audience, all at the same time. It has effectively nuked its own word of mouth.
Reading on social media, it's definitely not mocked by all of them. Some hate it, some love it, and some think that it's bad but hilarious and enjoyable at the same time.
I also read that some people wouldn't be surprised if it's becoming the next cult- musical, bec it's big following all these "rules".
We will see in the upcoming weeks...
Understudy Joined: 3/1/21
Kad said: "Showhopper2 said: "It wouldn't be the first show hated by the media, but becomjng more and more popular by the audience.
And THIS what counts at the end. "
...except it's being savagely mocked by audiences all over social media, as well (its IMDB rating sits at a crummy 4.6/10). And, unlike most Broadway shows, this production is available to a worldwide audience, all at the same time. It has effectively nuked its own word of mouth.
Reading on social media, it's definitely not mocked by all of them. Some hate it, some love it, and some think that it's bad but hilarious and enjoyable at the same time.
I also read that some people wouldn't be surprised if it's becoming the next cult- musical, bec it's big following all these "rules".
We will see in the upcoming weeks...
Understudy Joined: 3/1/21
Kad said: "Showhopper2 said: "It wouldn't be the first show hated by the media, but becomjng more and more popular by the audience.
And THIS what counts at the end. "
...except it's being savagely mocked by audiences all over social media, as well (its IMDB rating sits at a crummy 4.6/10). And, unlike most Broadway shows, this production is available to a worldwide audience, all at the same time. It has effectively nuked its own word of mouth.
Reading on social media, it's definitely not mocked by all of them. Some hate it, some love it, and some think that it's bad but hilarious and enjoyable at the same time.
I also read that some people wouldn't be surprised if it's becoming the next cult- musical, bec it's big following all these "rules".
We will see in the upcoming weeks...
Understudy Joined: 3/1/21
Kad said: "Showhopper2 said: "It wouldn't be the first show hated by the media, but becomjng more and more popular by the audience.
And THIS what counts at the end. "
...except it's being savagely mocked by audiences all over social media, as well (its IMDB rating sits at a crummy 4.6/10). And, unlike most Broadway shows, this production is available to a worldwide audience, all at the same time. It has effectively nuked its own word of mouth.
Reading on social media, it's definitely not mocked by all of them. Some hate it, some love it, and some think that it's bad but hilarious and enjoyable at the same time.
I also read that some people wouldn't be surprised if it's becoming the next cult- musical, bec it's big following all these "rules".
We will see in the upcoming weeks...
Understudy Joined: 3/1/21
Kad said: "Showhopper2 said: "It wouldn't be the first show hated by the media, but becomjng more and more popular by the audience.
And THIS what counts at the end. "
...except it's being savagely mocked by audiences all over social media, as well (its IMDB rating sits at a crummy 4.6/10). And, unlike most Broadway shows, this production is available to a worldwide audience, all at the same time. It has effectively nuked its own word of mouth.
Reading on social media, it's definitely not mocked by all of them. Some hate it, some love it, and some think that it's bad but hilarious and enjoyable at the same time.
I also read that some people wouldn't be surprised if it's becoming the next cult- musical, bec it's big following all these "rules".
We will see in the upcoming weeks...
Understudy Joined: 3/1/21
Kad said: "Showhopper2 said: "It wouldn't be the first show hated by the media, but becomjng more and more popular by the audience.
And THIS what counts at the end. "
...except it's being savagely mocked by audiences all over social media, as well (its IMDB rating sits at a crummy 4.6/10). And, unlike most Broadway shows, this production is available to a worldwide audience, all at the same time. It has effectively nuked its own word of mouth.
Reading on social media, it's definitely not mocked by all of them. Some hate it, some love it, and some think that it's bad but hilarious and enjoyable at the same time.
I also read that some people wouldn't be surprised if it's becoming the next cult- musical, since it's "different" and not followings the "rules"
Even critics mention this in their review
We will see in the upcoming weeks...
Broadway Star Joined: 8/7/11
I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned in any comment or review on any site--the scene where Diana is in a mental hospital. This never happened. She struggled with mental health issues,but she was never in a mental hospital. If she had been,something tells me it would've made the papers,even if the Palace had tried to keep it quiet. At the very least,it would've come out after she died,but it never did.
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