This Stunning New Show Tells The Untold (And Untrue) Story of Princess Diana

For the first time since her 1983 royal tour, Princess Diana is back on Australian shores… well, almost. 

The Princess of Wales herself may not be able to return to stages down under, but you cannot deny that the cheeky and campy spirit of our Di is certainly in the room during performances of Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story.

After becoming a cult hit in the UK, and going on to rake in crowds and awards at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Linus Karp and partner Joseph Martin have brought their show to Australia and New Zealand for the first time.

A drag portrayal of Di is not an unexplored concept, though it is a timeless and inspired one. Karp says he bonded with his mother-in-law through tacky Diana merchandise and decided to write her a show for her 60th birthday.

“I thought, what if I write her this Diana story that we can all read out? So I started writing this thing, and as I was writing it, it was growing and growing, and I was having a lot of fun with it,” Karp tells Star Observer.

“I started researching Diana and her life more and more and more. And I was just like, I think there’s a show in this.”

The show reimagines moments in Diana’s life — her marriage to Charles and introduction to royal life, the love triangle with Camilla, and her work and advocacy with humanitarian organisations. 

Through some creative puppetry, no member of the royal family is left unscathed.

“I think the portrayal of Camilla is quite something,” says Karp. “It’s funny to see the genuine fear in the eyes of all these audience members when Camilla appears.

“Jeanna de Waal, who plays Diana in Diana: The Musical on Broadway… makes a video appearance in the show. So we sort of have these two Dianas talking to each other. She’s giving my Diana life advice. I think that scene is just so funny and so ridiculous to have to have, like the Broadway Diana involved in the show.”

Although she passed away 27 years ago, stories of Diana still captivate and charm audiences, no one loves her quite like the queer community. 

Between her iconic style, simmering hatred for Prince Charles, and her open-hearted advocacy and allyship to our community during the HIV/AIDS crisis, her legacy as a gay icon has persevered.

“I think queer people love to label any kind of glamorous, beautiful woman as a queer icon,” said Karp. “She broke free from a very oppressive, sad marriage. And I think that’s something that queer people will celebrate.”

“Before every show, I have to stand backstage and I thank Diana for what she did, and how she lived her life. The nicest compliment that people sometimes say is, ‘I really think Diana would have loved this.’ 

“When I wrote the show, I very much intended it to be mostly for young queer people, and that tends to be the, you know, like our core target audience, but we get people of all ages, like all walks of life.”

Karp says that he’s had members of the audience come up to tell him stories about working with Diana through AIDS charities in the 80’s and 90’s. Others, like his mother-in-law, are older women who watched the Princess’ life play out on their television screens.

“It’s just amazing to hear so many people who have a connection with Diana, sometimes people who have met her come and talk about that after the show, and that’s always very special. It’s just been joyous.”

Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story

Canberra 27 Feb, Sydney 28 Feb, Newcastle 4 March, Brisbane 6 March.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit goudieevents.com.

 

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