The Diana Tapes
About the show
With the 20th anniversary of the Princess’s untimely death upon us, this new drama explores the subterfuge and deception which lead to a scorching climax and changed celebrity, privacy, and the Windsor family forever. More…
'The Diana Tapes' moves swiftly between Morton’s office, the sitting room where the Princess recorded her darkest secrets onto cassettes, and the dingy West London cafe where one of her best friends surreptitiously handed them over. This play allows us to consider the role of the media in our cultural institutions and governing bodies, and the impact it has on our perceptions, then and now.
"With an insightful, balanced mixture of fact and creative nonfiction, Clements and his What Will the Neighbors Say colleagues dramatize events leading to the 1992 publication of 'Diana: Her True Story-in Her Own Words'...That’s plenty for director Wednesday Sue Derrico to work with, since Diana’s cooperation proved difficult...'The Diana Tapes' is a smart variation on the Diana myth. The only thing Clements doesn’t answer is what happens to Andrew Morton and Dr. Colthurst." Full Review
"The one-act makes for an enjoyable evening. Obviously it takes skill to recreate Diana..The ensemble pulls it off in the end...The inherent structural challenge with trying to make a thriller out of a history play is that we already know how the story ends...I’m hesitant to say that the play adds much new to the conversation about Princess Di. But perhaps for a true Anglophile, the issue of novelty is less pressing than the chance to relive history." Full Review
"For those unfamiliar with her entire story, Clements teases out an interesting view into Diana…‘The Diana Tapes’ asks intriguing questions, but falters from a lack of intensity...The taped conversations and interaction between friends Colthurst and Diana are key…The characterization did not manifest Diana’s turmoil and inner conflict in sustained emotionalism throughout. When both actors did hit their notes and make their relationship believable, those scenes popped.” Full Review
"Mr. Clements’ treatment of these events is straightforward and confirms existing perceptions of these figures...That there are no surprises or fresh insights could be overcome if the production had vitality but it doesn’t...The alluring Ana Cristina Schuler is a winningly credible Diana...The saga of Princess Diana is certainly rich material for the stage but that potential hasn’t really been demonstrated here." Full Review
"This production is amateurish and makes ninety minutes seem more like 3 hours. Part of this is due to the direction by Wednesday Sue Derrico...The events are straightforward, but it is hard to follow, as this seems more like a student production. None of the actors are old enough...Only the lighting designer Elizabeth M. Stewart and Ms. Wall’s costume design seem NYC ready. I was intrigued to see this show, but the material does not live up to the name Princess Diana." Full Review
See it if You want to see a show that digs into the days of Diana.
Don't see it if You don’t like plays. You don’t like new theatre.
See it if If you loved Diana.
Don't see it if See it if you can
See it if You are interested in true stories that explore personal intrigue. If you have interest in Princess Diana and want to look at that time
Don't see it if If you like people who do impressions of historical people. If you have no interest in Princess Diana.
See it if you'd like a well-written take on Diana about the control of info, w/great performers who make the characters their own & minimalist staging
Don't see it if you know everything about the Diana tapes already / expect to see Diana incarnate back from the dead
Also Would have loved to see a fully-fleshed naturalistic staging, but unde... Read more Read less
See it if You like the royal family and are interesting to think more about what Princess Diana was really like/her motives for releasing the tapes.
Don't see it if You don't know anything about Martin's book or the royal family or Diana. The play expects you to know the basics to get into the story.
See it if You want a well acted story about Diana. I did not know that much about her but learned a few things from this production.
Don't see it if You are looking for big splashy sets.
See it if If you were fascinated by Diana and read the Morton book you will enjoy this. Acting by Jorge Morales Pico is excellent.
Don't see it if You are bothered by loud noise and furniture moving.
See it if You love great writing, the royal family, and political dramas.
Don't see it if If you don't like black box productions.
See it if Engaging short play about the dilemma of public and private life and the risks of friendship and greed.
Don't see it if It is not a hard hitting expose or royal soap opera.
See it if you are interested in Diana's turmoil as princess
Don't see it if You are expecting something other than a simply staged historical ? drama
See it if you still need a dose of Royal family stories or some British accent & play , or if merely intrigued to know the deal in the "Diana tapes".
Don't see it if you expect a literal interptetation of Lady Di or recreation of British settings -as this is a minimalist production but in effective style.
See it if I liked the staging & its use of minimal stage props. There's a voyeuristic feeling of behind-the-scenes into Princess Diana's private life.
Don't see it if You don't know who Prinecess Diana was.
See it if If you are interested in British Royalty and history.
Don't see it if If you are looking for a bigger, grander show.
See it if you are interested in Diana's life and the scandal about her marriage. Clever way of changing scenes was a plus.
Don't see it if you don't care about the royal family, and expect traditional theater.
See it if You are interested in Diana and her story. You want a light surface afternoon of theater
Don't see it if You are tired of hearing about the British royal family. You are looking for an in depth show.
See it if you are enchanted by "behind the scenes" and thoughts if Princess Diana
Don't see it if you are an anti - Brit or not interested in Diana's travails wit h Prince Charles
See it if you’re curious to see a new take on Diana’s story.
Don't see it if the bad British accents will be too distracting, or you are expecting a play centered on Diana and not the men who wrote about her.
See it if Interesting royalty stiry
Don't see it if The subject matter doesn’t interest you.
See it if You’re a Princess Di fanatic.
Don't see it if You mind badly behaved audience of munchers, slurpers and text addicts. No managerial control in the theatre.
See it if You want to see a light play that tries to explore an important issue but only scratches the surface.
Don't see it if You expect an in depth look into princess Diana and her story
See it if you want to explore your curiosity and open your mind to some hidden agendas happening to your world where the world hids them.
Don't see it if you are close minded and only looks on what the wolrd needs you to see.
See it if you want to see a less than reverential treatment of the oft-reported breakout of Lady Di from her royal straitjacket.
Don't see it if you have heard far too much about Lady Di already.
Also “The Diana Tapes” deals with the well-trod break of Lady Diana from he... Read more Read less
See it if A tight, smart, interesting look at events from the past that reflect on the present interest you
Don't see it if A very British' subject centered play, is beyond your interests. For the first preview it was well acted yet not completely refined.
Cast & Creatives (7)
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