Review: DIANA: THE UNTOLD AND UNTRUE STORY, Old Joint Stock Theatre - Tour

Photo credit: Dave Bird

It is rare that we leave a theatre with no words about what we have just seen! Fortunately for Awkward Productions’ Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story, this is for largely positive reasons.

Following the success of How To Live A Jellicle Life: Life Lessons From The 2019 Hit Movie Musical Cats, the incomparable Linus Karp writes and performs in this a whistle-stop journey through key moments in the ‘People’s Princess’’ tragically short life as you’ve never experienced before - recalled from Heaven, of course.

Now, this is not for the strict Royalist amongst us as this is not the story that we have been told previously and there are some very near the knuckle moments across the performance’s 1 hour 10 minute run time, but the production never shies away from what it is and this is rewarded by the sold-out Birmingham crowd’s reaction to this interactive, comedic and wildly bonkers piece!

This is predominantly a solo show whereby Karp lights up and commands the performance space throughout; in fact, from the second he emerges through an audience member (aka ‘Diana’s Mum’s) legs at the top of the show! For context, select members of the crowd are asked to take on certain roles throughout the performance including a corgi, gay scientist and a landmine, and the entertainment of this aspect further contributes to the enjoyment of the show. Karp is also accompanied onstage by a cardboard cutout of Prince Charles, a virtual Queen Elizabeth II played by Geri Allen (somewhat reminiscent of a deadpan Olivia Colman from The Crown), and a life-size puppet of Camilla - or “the slag of death”; the latter of which is manipulated enthusiastically by co-director, Joseph Martin.

Karp is demure yet effervescent and a dead ringer for Diana, appearing in several outfits that have become iconic by association with the former Princess of Wales. The blend of “truth” and “untruth” is seamlessly intertwined throughout, with the line from Martin Bashir’s famous interview -“there were three of us in this marriage and it was bit crowded” - in particular, repeatedly used to good dramatic effect.

Despite all of the hilarity and occasional disbelief, queer positivity radiates through the show’s every pore, and this is even celebrated through a catchy musical number towards the end of the show. There are strong messages that leap off the page beyond the parody and this is the most important takeaway from the production.

Brilliant and inspired.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Jenny Ell

Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story plays in Birmingham today (25 February) and continues touring until April, with further information here.