A PLAY about Princess Diana might sound unappealing to my fellow pro-republic independence supporting Scots. But Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story is not your typical take on the former People’s Princess or the royal family in general. There is zero pro-monarchy sentiment to be found here.
This is also not a demeaning take on the former Princess of Wales. It is a celebration of a strong, influential woman who was taken before her time and never truly understood by the utterly broken institution around her. At the same time, it’s completely ridiculous. How couldn’t it be? It starts with Princess Di herself addressing us directly from heaven, where she’s apparently hanging out with Captain Sir Tom Moore at the spa (unclear if it’s the unauthorised one that planning bosses say needs to be demolished).
Upon entry to the show, some audience members have been quietly picked out to be part of the cast. All they have to do is enter the stage when the screen prompts them to, then read out the lines that appear. These deliberately horribly written, bizarre bits of dialogue would be hilarious coming from Daniel Day-Lewis – but when it’s delivered by desperately embarrassed attendees who look like they'd rather be anywhere else, it’s an absolute riot.
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Linus Karp has his exaggerated Diana spot on, and the crowd absolutely eats up every big-eyed whispery line. The Prince Charles cardboard cut-out complete with an ugly wig never stops being funny, and the treatment of Camilla … well, no spoilers, but it’s extremely entertaining. Everything from the Mortal Kombat style fight scene, to the awards season sequence, are perfectly imagined and brought to life on stage with vision and heaps of silliness.
You really should know your pop-culture references if you want to enjoy the full experience. There’s infamous Come Dine With Me lines, RuPaul’s Drag Race moments and a whole host of camp icons to keep in mind. However if this is all a foreign language to you, fear not. Karp and his creative partner Joseph Martin create such a fun spirit in the room that you’ll just have to go along with the ridiculousness.
Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story plays at the Pleasance Dome until August 28
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