One-woman show offers look at Princess Diana
Since launching her repertoire of one-woman performances in 2015, stepping into the shoes of some of the most famous and photographed female luminaries of the 20th century, actress Jillann Gabrielle of Oak Park has made it clear she doesn’t do impersonations.
“I’m a serious writer and actress,” Gabrielle explained by telephone.
“These are all shows I’ve written, with songs and music, after much research. I describe it as my interpretation.”
Gabrielle is bringing her “interpretations” to Munster for a one-performance noon lunch and show Dec. 13 at the Munster Community Park Social Center, presented by the Munster Parks and Recreation Department.
With book, music and lyrics all written by Gabrielle, and billed as “an original solo musical,” her 65-minute performance titled “Princess Di: Gone but Still Kicking!” was previously scheduled to be performed in May 2020 hosted by the Munster Parks and Recreation, but was canceled due to pandemic shutdowns.
“We do a number of these one-person lunch performances throughout the year and audiences love them because they learn aspects of the lives of these famous people they didn’t know, while being entertained at the same time,” said Mara DiCarolo, who stepped into her own new role as recreation supervisor for Munster Parks and Recreation six months ago.
“Recent performances have included solo shows dedicated to Julia Child, Jackie Kennedy, and just in November, this month we featured a lunch and show program with a portrayal of actress Hedy Lamarr.”
The December Princess Diana show centers on Gabrielle as the spirit of a later-life Princess Diana, sharing her thoughts and observances in spirit form, as she gently “haunts” Kensington Palace with a running commentary about herself, the royal family and the monarchy.
“Princess Diana was very loving and she always put her children first,” Gabrielle said.
“She has so many layers to her identity.”
Other favorite performance roles Gabrielle has crafted for her Paradise Playhouse brand of touring productions from her roster of notable name shows at paradiseplayhouse.net feature musical works written by her, and starring her, as gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, first lady Jackie Kennedy, and slipping into the dual rival roles of both the Hollywood film at-odds co-stars, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, all during the same show.
“Of all the performances I do, I’d say least known name these days is when I do my show on actress Greta Garbo,” Gabrielle said.
“Her film career was just so long ago, and because she retired so young.”
Despite having successfully making the transition from silent films to “talking pictures,” Garbo retired at age 35 in 1941 after making 28 films.
“Yet, I also find there is still a fascination with Garbo once people start learning more about her and why she decided to retire from the film industry at such an early age, since she lived for another almost 50 years until her death in 1990.”
Gabrielle agrees there has been even more renewed interest recently about the personal life of Princess Diana, who died at age 36 in a car crash in Paris in 1997. The additional added sparks of interest she says have been generated by the buzz about the fifth season of the Netflix series “The Crown” which premiered in November, and with most of the episodes focused on Princess Diana’s personal struggles.
“My Diana is so much different from what is being portrayed on this new season of ‘The Crown’ as I watch it,” Gabrielle said.
“I preferred the earlier seasons of ‘The Crown’ compared to this new season.”