San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
We didn’t deserve ‘Diana’
In defense of the La Jolla Playhouse-sprung Broadway production that everybody loved to hate — well, almost everybody
COMMENTARY
Broadway’s comeback season was a hurricane. Not even the heavily awarded revival of a Stephen Sondheim favorite such as “Company” could withstand shaky ticket sales brought on by a pandemic-wary theatergoing community.
There was still much to praise, and much that will be seared into memory. But more than most other musicals that opened last season, the one whose songs and sheer audacity stand the best chance to live on in my heart — and on my shower playlists — is the one that shone briefly, amid a deluge of vitriol.
The one that played a mere 59 performances, and whose Netflix presentation won five Razzie Awards: the ill-fated “Diana, the Musical.”
Two weeks ago, Roe Hartrampf, the show’s nefarious Prince Charles, played a two-night engagement at New York’s 54 Below, joined by Jeanna de Waal (who portrayed Princess Diana) and, also on the first night, Erin Davie (Diana’s rival for Charles’ affections, Camilla Parker Bowles).
Although they didn’t sing from its score, the musical was cheekily referenced throughout.
At rehearsals for the club act — ironically enough, at a midtown Manhattan studio across from the Longacre Theater where they once reigned — the three reminisced with a mix of good humor and workmanlike acceptance. A promotional blurb for the concert, after all, nods knowingly at Hartrampf ’s Razzie nomination and the brief Broadway run.
It also makes reference to the Netflix fiasco that followed after the musical premiered on the streaming service months before its Broadway opening. Recorded without an audience in the middle of the pandemic shutdown, it landed with a thud, and that response helped determine its eventual fate.
“Part of the struggle was that the audience didn’t know what to expect from a musical about Diana,” Hartrampf said after the rehearsal. “They were sort of waiting for us to tell them, ‘You can laugh because this is a comedy or stay quiet because it’s a drama.’ They needed to be shown what this piece was going to be.”
Cheeky as ever
When I reviewed “Diana” in November, I called it a “giddy orgy of theatrical excess” that combined the “preposterous high gloss” of “Rupaul’s Drag Race” with “The Simpsons’ ” innate understanding of the overly literal silliness that makes the form work.”
By the time I attended the musical’s premature final performance barely a month later, the cast had leaned all the way into the absurdity. The hyperkinetic ensemble (some of the most all-out, on-point dancing of the season) was cheeky as ever, but the lead actors seemed to be in on the fun, too. De Waal’s naughty wink had grown more flamboyant, and the cast reveled in the extravagance of her expletive-laden song about the dress Diana wore to show up her romantic rival.
“It was always supposed to be a rock show, it always had humor and it was always supposed to be heightened,” de Waal said.
Although the losers at the Razzies named her worst actress, de Waal’s extraordinary, vocally gymnastic performance earned a Drama Desk nomination. I would have handed her a Tony nomination, too, with a special citation for Grace Under Internet Fire. She had already been apologizing for the Netflix special by the time the show opened, and she kept off social media throughout its run.
De Waal’s performance sold me on the idea that Diana Spencer was a 19year-old robbed of a comfortable young adulthood, cynically plucked by stuffy royals for good optics, then discarded once her personhood got in the way. (That problem hasn’t gone away.) Her Diana was temperamental, petty and crass, but ultimately winning.
The music, by Bon Jovi keyboard player David Bryan, was as arena-ready as you’d expect, calling back to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s early marriage of rock bombast and theatrical silliness (Exhibit A: “Evita.”) The lyrics (by Bryan and Joe Dipietro) were scarcely more profound than a “Live Laugh Love” poster, but, sung with full force, they stuck like Super Glue. Diana’s “I could use a prince to save me from my prince,” rather silly on paper, came across as a primal scream.
And director Christopher Ashley, a Tony winner for his work on “Come From Away,” kept “Diana” moving as seamlessly and hypnotically as the princess’s frenzied, tabloid-ready life. (Nathan Lucrezio, who played her biographer Andrew Morton on Broadway, will appear in Hartrampf ’s act as well.)
Remember fun?
Among the criticisms aimed at “Diana” was that it exploited a real woman’s tragic story for pop consumption. To that point:
Every biographical narrative can be said to be inherently reductive and exploitative. If director Pablo Larraín and actress Kristen Stewart can (deservedly) score awards love for their cinematic take on Diana as the “final girl” in a horror movie (2021’s “Spencer”), I see no reason this musical should be punished for molding the source material to fit the form’s razzle-dazzle structure.
Was “Diana” tasteful or poetic? Definitely not. But it was fun. Remember fun? So many productions this season didn’t, setting their sights instead on scoring political points, to varying success and an even dimmer sense of play.
You have to take a work on its own terms, and “Diana” set them 10 minutes in, when the soon-to-be princess took over cello duties from Mstislav Rostropovich and did a stage-dive into a royal crowd as Prince Charles did the robot. This fantasy sequence — illustrating how Diana would rather be on a date at a disco than at a dreary classical concert — reflected the show’s unapologetic commitment to pop maximalism.
Mark my words: The show is primed for another look. Consider “Legally Blonde,” currently enjoying a critical re-evaluation thanks to a Lucy Mossdirected
London revival, and continuing social media affection for its original, bubble gum-pink production.
Or consider the recent interest in revising the narratives around stars
Sunday
“Celebrity Family Feud”: ABC, 8 p.m. Hosted by Steve Harvey, the first game has the Sharks from ABC’S “Shark Tank” face off against the hosts from CBS’ “The Talk” to see who will come out on top and win the grand prize for their selected charities. In the next game, comedians Natasha Leggero and Lauren Ash go head-to-head.
“Groundswell”: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 9 p.m. Original film. A chef from Atlanta trying to cope with a personal and professional setback travels to Hawaii, where she meets a handsome, reclusive surf instructor whose lessons help her find solid ground again. Lacey Chabert and Ektor Rivera star.
“United Shades of America”: CNN, 10 p.m. Season finale. Season 7 of comedian/political provocateur W. Kamau Bell’s docuseries that explores issues of race and class across the country concludes with “Hawaii for Hawaiians.” On his second trip to Hawaii, Bell learns how an exploitative tourism industry has left local Hawaiians protesting to get their jobs back, competing with tourists for space in the water and struggling for housing. The host explores how the state can sustain its tourism industry while also supporting its local population.
“Flatbush Misdemeanors”: Showtime, 10:35 p.m. Season finale. The comedy series starring Dan Perlman and Kevin Iso as fictionalized versions of themselves finishes its second season with “Memento Mori.”
Monday
“American Ninja Warrior”: NBC, 8 p.m. The finals continue in Las Vegas, where the ninjas face supersized obstacles in Stages 1 and 2 during timed runs. The ninjas who advance to Stage 2 must complete a six-obstacle course, including the new Hornet’s Nest challenge, to advance to Stage 3 of the national finals.
“Bobby and Sophie on the Coast”: Food Network, 9 p.m. New series. Hit the road with Bobby Flay and his daughter, Sophie, as they set off on an incredible food tour across the sunny California coastline to explore the Los Angeles spots, old and new, that are part of the city’s exploding food scene. From glamorous Hollywood establishments to downtown L.A.’S hot new eateries to fresh seafood in sunny beach towns, Bobby and Sophie give us a front-row seat as they share what they enjoy most, tracking down and trying the most extraordinary eats around.
“Beat Shazam”: Fox, 9 p.m. Longtime besties, golf buddies and a team of acrobatic aerialists compete for the $1 million prize in the new episode “Who’s Gonna Get That Money?”
“Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge”: Nat Geo, beginning at 9 p.m. All six Season 7 episodes currently streaming on Disney+. Season finale. Season 7 of Bear Grylls’ celebrity wilderness survival series concludes with back-to-back hourlong episodes. First, Anthony Anderson joins Bear in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where the actor is challenged to survive using just a rope and compass. Then, Bear puts Rob Riggle through survival tests in the Great Basin Desert to prepare the comedian/actor for his latest movie role.
Tuesday
“Only Murders in the Building”: Hulu. Season finale. The comedy/mystery series led by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez concludes its second season. Described as “the true crown jewel of our slate” by Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, the popular and acclaimed show has been renewed for Season 3.
“Holly Hobbie”: BYUTV, 7 p.m. Season premiere. This family series that follows the titular aspiring singer-songwriter (Ruby Jay) who isn’t afraid to fight for causes she believes in, even if it ruffles feathers, makes its Season 5 primetime broadcast premiere tonight, with new episodes premiering weekly (all of Season 5 is available for streaming at Byutv.org and via the BYUTV app).
“Cinderella: The Reunion, a Special Edition of 20/20”: ABC, 8 p.m. The 25th anniversary celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella will feature members of its all-star cast, including Brandy, Whoopi Goldberg, Jason Alexander, Victor Garber, Paolo Montalban and Bernadette Peters. The reunion special will include interviews with the cast and rare behind-the-scenes footage with Whitney Houston as it celebrates America’s first Black Cinderella (Brandy) and Fairy Godmother (Houston).
“America’s Got Talent”: NBC, 8 p.m. Live. More performers take the stage live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium as judging is turned over to the viewing audience to vote their favorite performer into the final round. Viewers can vote by using the AGT official app or going to nbc.com. Results air tomorrow night. “Password”: NBC, 10 p.m. A new episode of this revival of the iconic game show premieres tonight as the series settles into its Tuesday-only time slot following two weeks that also featured Wednesday premieres. Jimmy Fallon is an executive producer and part of the celebrity/contestant duos who try to guess mystery words for cash prizes in each hourlong episode. Tonight’s installment finds actor J.B. Smoove joining Fallon in the competition. Actress Keke Palmer hosts.
Wednesday
“Running With the Devil: The Wild World of John Mcafee”: Netflix. He’s the original computer genius gone rogue, inventor of one of the most successful (and most hated) pieces of software of all time: Mcafee Antivirus. At his peak, John Mcafee was worth $100 million. But when his neighbor was murdered, Mcafee went on the run — and invited a film crew with him. With access to hundreds of hours of neverbefore-broadcast footage of Mcafee as he was pursued by the authorities, this documentary is the definitive story of a larger-than-life character, a man who ran for president, escaped from prison multiple times and claimed to have hacked the world. “America’s Got Talent”: NBC, 8 p.m.
Live. Find out which two acts from last night’s live qualifiers are moving on to the final round of the competition.
“Katrina Babies”: HBO, 9 p.m. This documentary is directed by first-time filmmaker and New Orleans native Edward Buckles Jr. The director, who himself was 13 years old when Hurricane Katrina hit the area in 2005, spent seven years documenting the stories of his peers who survived the devastating storm as children, using his community’s tradition of oral storytelling to open a door for healing and to capture the strength and spirit of his city.
“In Pursuit With John Walsh”: Investigation Discovery, 9 p.m. Season premiere. John Walsh and his son, Callahan Walsh, return for a fourth season of shining the light on violent fugitives. In the season premiere, after a corrections officer and devoted mother goes missing, her son’s father, William Strand, becomes the prime suspect, and John joins the hunt to bring him in. Then, investigators say an unidentified serial sexual predator terrorized women in central Florida for years until breakthrough DNA technology appears to link Leslie Lagrotta to the assaults. Callahan is on the ground in Orlando to help authorities track the suspect. The episode is immediately followed by an hourlong instudio special, “In Pursuit: Hot on the Trail,” in which the Walshes take a deep dive into cases and give real-time updates.
“Welcome to Wrexham”: FX, 10 p.m. New series. In 2020, Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds (“Deadpool”) and Rob Mcelhenney (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) formed The R.R. Mcreynolds Co. and purchased the struggling fifth-tier English soccer club Wrexham AFC. This docuseries tracks their crash course in football club ownership, and the inextricably connected fates of a team and a town counting on two actors to bring some serious hope and change to a community that could use it.
Thursday
“Mike”: Hulu. New series. This eight-episode limited series explores the tumultuous ups and downs of Mike Tyson’s boxing career and personal life. From being a beloved global athlete to a pariah and back again, the drama covers all aspects of Tyson’s dynamic and controversial story. Focusing a lens on the notorious boxer, Mike examines class, race, fame, misogyny, the
media and the American dream. Trevante Rhodes stars as the title character. Episodes are available Thursdays beginning today.
“Everything I Know About Love”: Peacock. New series. Set in a 2012 London houseshare inhabited by four girls — childhood best friends and the series’ central focus, Maggie (Emma Appleton) and Birdy (Bel Powley), along with their mates from university, Amara (Aliyah Odoffin) and Nell (Marli Siu) — this sevenepisode comedy/drama offers an unflinching deep dive into bad dates, heartaches and humiliations, and begs the question: Can platonic love survive romantic love as we grow up?
“No Demo Reno”: HGTV, 9 p.m. Jenn Todryk helps a newlywed couple who recently moved into the house she’s owned for 10 years and want a space they can make a future in. Then, Jenn takes on her toughest client and job yet: her 3-year-old daughter Vivienne’s bedroom.
Friday
“Diary of an Old Home”: Magnolia Network on discovery+ New series. Homeowners offer an intimate look at the original features and modern renovations that make their old homes unique. They also share their passion for understanding and preserving their properties’ distinct histories.
“Me Time”: Netflix. Original film. Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg headline this comedy in which Hart plays a stayat-home dad who finds himself, for the first time in years, with a little “me time” while his wife and kids are away. He reconnects with his former best friend (Wahlberg) for a wild weekend that nearly upends his life. Regina Hall also stars.
“Samaritan”: Prime Video. Original film. Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor, Mr. Smith (Sylvester Stallone), is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twentyfive years ago, Granite City’s superpowered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis. Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive.
“Secret Celebrity Renovation”: CBS, 8 p.m. Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts) returns home to Gaithersburg, Md., to help renovate his parents’ home and create a backyard oasis and more for them to enjoy with their large extended family.
“César Millán: Better Human Better Dog”: Nat Geo, beginning at 9 p.m. Episodes encore tomorrow, Aug. 27, on Nat Geo Wild, beginning at 10 p.m. Season finale. Season 2 of canine behavior expert César Millán’s series concludes with back-to-back hourlong episodes. In “Avocado Aggression,” César rehabs a Doberman that can’t stop scanning for threats — and finding them in his own home in the form of a packmate, leading to violent fights between the brothers.
Saturday
“Game, Set, Love”: Hallmark Channel, 8 p.m. Original film. Former pro tennis player Taylor reluctantly agrees to coach her former doubles partner Ashley and Ashley’s new partner, Will. He desperately needs to repair his reputation and career, and while Taylor and Will clash at first, she’s surprised to discover a different side to him. Stars Davida Williams, Richard Harmon and Tracy Austin. “Help. I Wrecked My House”: HGTV, 9 p.m. Season premiere. California-based designer and builder and former “Hidden Potential” host Jasmine Roth is back for Season 3 of this series featuring her fixing major home renovation disasters. The 10-episode season begins with Roth helping a homeowner struggling to renovate his father’s 1960s-style childhood home. Burnout and an unreliable contractor necessitate a rescue operation. Roth steps in to revamp unfinished rooms and transform the home into a midcentury masterpiece.